


It's Not Over

by Cassasaurus



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe, Assault, Attempted Sexual Assault, Consent, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Genderfluid, Genderfluid Character, Healing, Homelessness, Human Pennywise (IT), Multi, Multiverse, Murder, Pennywise (IT) Lives, Pennywise (IT) is His Own Warning, Possessive Pennywise (IT), Psychic Bond, Robbery, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Spoilers for Stephen King's IT, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2020-10-20 13:43:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 49,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20676353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cassasaurus/pseuds/Cassasaurus
Summary: Pennywise narrowly escapes his death at the hands of the losers (It Chapter 2 -2019 specific) into the multiverse, finding itself in an alternate Derry, Maine. It receives help from OC Jessie, an abuse survivor who resides in the well house on Neibolt St.Pennywise





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was most recently revised on 10/28/19.

_Pain, fear, weakness_.

The deadlights of It spiraled in panic as the physical form it had manifested crumbled. It couldn't stay here, It was weak. It was dying. Desperately the deadlights pushed hard into the ether, clawing through the fabric of the universe, running. Running away from those people, clutching the withering remains of It's dead physical heart. It experienced exhilarating fear, this being that thought humans so weak, so harmless, was chased out of the universe inhabited by the Losers. Disbelief tore at its conscious mind as it fought to pull away barely in time to stop it's complete dissipation into nothingness. One, two, and then three, the deadlights flickered from one Derry, Maine into another. The panic was not over yet. It was too damaged, too weak to manifest. If it did not feed surely it would fade into nothing. It pulsated in the earth, tearing and ripping a way through the matter of this new place. It felt a strange flicker of light nearby, and it could feel erratic, terrified vibrations as well. It could feed, It _would_ feed.

It hurtled toward the source of the terror it had sensed, and shot into the rickety wooden house on Neibolt St. The surrounding area was not much different in this universe, it noted. Derry in this place was also teeming with crime, crawling with malice. It found its target- two men, arms bound behind their backs with zip-ties, bleeding from slashes on their ankles lay groaning into handkerchief gags on the dust coated floorboards. The deadlights reached them and as their eyes were blinded by the brilliantly horrifying lights, both men attempted to shriek. As the balls of light came into contact with them, their skin bloated and boiled, searing hot and beginning to run with blood where holes opened in their skin. Only a moist squelching and crackling filled the room as meat and bones broke apart and dissolved, dripping chunks of fatty tissue. As It consumed them, the source of their initial state became apparent.

Jessie, who had taken a step outside the house to calm herself, sensed It come into her universe. She had arrived in Derry three days prior, and chosen this house to shield her from the elements at night. It looked just spooky enough to make her hope that she wouldn't be disturbed. Unfortunately, she underestimated the depravity of the town she had come to rest in. The two men who lay bleeding on the floor had caught sight of her as she explored her surroundings. They had followed her for a few hours, and when she had come back to this house to rest for the night, they watched her enter and proceeded to follow her inside after a few minutes. Entering quietly, they had shut the door behind them and checked the entire bottom floor first. Moving up the stairs, they noticed a closed door ahead, and moved to open it. Jessie waited for them beyond that door, seated against the wall near the edge of the door that would swing open. She had noticed them following her about the streets, and heard their quiet entry. Experience taught her to be ready for assaults of this nature, and as they opened the door and entered the room, first one and then the other, she sliced at their ankles with a knife, opening their flesh and causing them to fall to their knees into the room. She glared angrily at them as they cried and screamed and writhed, before kicking them each in the stomach. "No!" she growled, "You don't get to fucking _cry _now! You boys want to come after me? I don't fucking think so." She had grabbed zip-ties from her bag when she prepared herself for their approach, and she quickly put their hands behind their backs one at a time, kicking them into compliance. "You think you can just come after me because I'm by myself. You didn't stop to think if there's no one to save me, there also won't be anyone to fucking save you."

She busied herself with tying gags around their heads and dragging them down the stairs, away from the room she had chosen to rest in. Jessie was practically vibrating with rage then, and she broke away from them, exiting to stand on the dilapidated porch for a moment, taking in the cool night air to calm herself. She would not cry in front of them- they did not deserve to see her tears. When she first felled them, she saw that they had both been aroused upon opening the door. She could feel impressions from them as they had approached, felt the sexual predatory aura around them. Their intentions were as clear to her as the darkness of the night surrounding her. The images bidden into her mind by their desires were memories of what had started this descent into numbness. Three years, she reflected, she had been running. Three years she had taken any means of transportation she could find to move as far away from her hometown as possible. It struck her like an open handed slap to her brain, jarring her. Jessie's stepfather had raped her- _punishment_ he had called it- for not abiding by his curfew at the age of 20 years old. As she lay bleeding on her bed, tears coating her cheeks, she felt her mind fracture. Anger, hatred, pure seething rage had boiled over within her, and she had grabbed an iron skillet from the kitchen and gone up behind his recliner where he sat, asleep. Raising the skillet high, she brought it down onto his head over and over, until his skull was nothing but pulp. She felt nothing at first, other than the anger still boiling inside. Nothing could take away the pain that had been inflicted upon her, and while the brutal retaliation had given her a sense of closure, it had not truly improved her emotional state. She felt broken and used, dirty. Jessie shaved her hair that night with his electric razor, removed it all and then gathered a small bag together. Grabbing as much money as she could find in the house, she took off and never looked back, never making friends or joining groups. She defended herself shakily at first, eyes always open and searching for danger.

Time had brought no healing to her fractured heart. Every day, she felt nothing at all except the visceral urge to move forward and stay alive. People, she found, were generally predictable, and would ignore her if she ensured that she did nothing to stand out. She had also learned to spot those who would cause trouble for her. Using the same instinct that kept her searching for food, finding places to clean herself and rest properly, she overpowered and outmaneuvered those who tried to take advantage of her lack of companions. Along the way, she had discovered in herself a sense of power that the majority of others seemed to lack. She felt this power like a light within her, and with it she could glean the emotional status of those around her generally, she could sense the presence of others who approached her. She could push this light as well into objects with intent, and used it to create a safe space where she slept to deter malicious energies and intentions. She used chalk as her focus, in this current house, creating a bubble surrounding the old, filthy mattress she claimed. 

As she stood on the porch gathering herself, she jumped when she felt the shockwave of Its arrival, a sudden rush of foreign feeling energy, radiating panic and crazed desperation. She felt the reaction of the men inside, heard the strange wet crunching noises of their bodies being destroyed by the deadlights. Jessie noticed the strange glow from the windows and froze and stared at the door, wondering what had just happened. The glow faded, and she approached the door, opened it and stepped inside. This house was her claimed space, and she intended to find out what just happened.

Standing in the middle of the room before her was a clown. She stared at him for a long moment, taking him in from the white paint and red lines adorning his cheeks to dirty silver garb with red pompoms. Not knowing what to make of this, she walked in and closed the door behind her, questioning her sanity. Perhaps the calm she summoned was the result of a mental break. Maybe there were two men laying on the floor bleeding out and she was hallucinating a fucking clown and two puddles of what looked like human mulch. "Well... Fuck... Thanks?" The words burst from her as she began to laugh hysterically at the idea that she had literally just fallen completely insane. She felt an emotional response like shock, and realized- _"I'm not crazy... you're real."_ Jessie stated this as a fact, blinking a few times. She walked to the stairs then, and ascended them as though nothing had happened. She sat down on the mattress and noticed that the clown had followed her, though she heard no steps. He appeared not to know what to make of her. He looked disoriented and appeared to be crumbling. She looked at him uncertainly, not understanding what she saw. She didn't think this clown was human, its presence felt very strange. With furrowed brows, she stared at him, head cocked and struggled to form coherent thoughts. "I'm sorry but if you're still hungry, those were the last two assholes in stock," she said cautiously, still gauging the situation. Her knife was in her hand just in case he attacked, but she was confident that her protective bubble would prevent it from assailing her.

"Fear... Tasty fear..." was all she heard from him, before he retreated back from the edge of her circle and sat regarding her with unreadable eyes. Jessie felt a sudden, intense desire to sleep and, concerned as she was with how suddenly it came on, she was too tired from all the excitement of the last few hours to fend off this urge. She fell asleep hard, quickly, and this time for the first time in three years, she actually dreamed.

Darkness surrounded her. She was aware of herself as just the light energy that resonated in her, the light she molded into her shields against harmful intent, against malice. Jessie felt as though her dream-form looked somewhat like a small star, twinkling and glinting. She was aware very suddenly of another presence, another light. She dared not direct her focus at it, she pointed all of her sensors away from it, but could feel It's alien vibrations all the same. It seemed weak, weaker at least than it could have been. It felt injured, broken. She felt sorry for It, as she too felt injured and broken and she couldn't stop the wave of sympathy she felt, knowing It had felt it too.

'You are a human who burns brightly, and so much darkness resides in you...' she could feel the thoughts as though they were occurring to her, though It's mental voice felt very different from her normal thoughts.

'Yes, I am. And yes, you're right, that is just what this world has done to me.' Jessie responds, feeling- _actually feeling_\- excitement now. What was this experience, what was this thing? Was this related to the clown? As these questions occur to her, she felt It answer her.

'You are speaking with my true form, the closest you are capable of. I am... ' It wavered. How to answer. Why bother to answer? It wondered if the similarity it felt to this human was just another sign of weakness, the weakness that had allowed a mere group of human beings to damage and nearly destroy It, the Eater Of Worlds, a superior entity altogether- but... Humans had destroyed it. They had shriveled it's form, crushed it's beating heart in their hands, and It had flung itself through the fabric of the universe in the last vestiges of its existence. It was by chance perhaps that this girl had provided It with exactly what it needed to avoid complete dissipation. She had fed it, when it had been used to hunting alone, desiring nothing more than to feast, to sleep, to awaken and feast again. It had almost died because it had underestimated humans, and it could not overlook that fact. The danger to it's very existence was a new, unthinkable addition to it's experience of this dimension. This human had indirectly saved It, and that was something It did not know how to handle. It did not _want_ to kill this human and was baffled by that. This strange, sympathetic creature was the first human to have experienced the deadlights in anything other than crazed terror and dissolution. The exposure was light, granted, and the human did a good job of minimizing exposure in this higher realm. Too much like those who had nearly killed it. But she was alone, and It could tell she didn't want to kill It. She felt curious, but also shocked. Dipping into her mind felt like ice, numbing and uncomfortable, in a constant state of desire to _act now, **act now, ACT NOW**_\- but she relaxed when It read her, submitting to it's probing.

_I have never encountered anything like you. I don't know what to say..._ she pushed this thought, trying to engage in dialogue with this creature, this curious, probing light. Its nature felt spastic, savage, and predatory... but it appeared calm at the moment. Tired. It needed nourishment and she felt that.

_Thank you_ was the response she got, and accepted this without question. She could feel the hunger in this creature, and the connection it made with her to read her showed her a vision of It feasting on those men, absorbing their essence as it consumed their flesh. She could tell their fear was somehow pleasing to it, and this made it clear that the fear was It's true sustenance. It withdrew from her mind after that and she though still didn't understand what this being was she had learned about It, at least what it did to those men. Gathering up energy into a bundled, humming bunch, Jessie pressed it toward this being, the equivalent of a welcome basket. She felt it's damaged state and without her conscious mind forming the decision, she wanted to help It. A twinge of discomfort washed over her from the other presence, but she could feel it absorb her gift. It felt just the smallest bit stronger and for the first time in three years she felt a tiny flicker, like a strobe in the darkness, of pride. The experience conjured in her mind the image of her removing a thorn from a lion's paw. Following a brief pause, she felt a wave of mild amusement tainted with exhaustion, coursing with a needy hunger.

_Come with me tomorrow._ The invitation flashed away from her as the thought had occurred. In response to the questioning she felt in reply, she continued, _Follow me through my day. This town is crawling with scum, and I have to search for food, too. You're likely to get another meal out of it, and I think I might even feel more safe with you._ There is only hesitation and bafflement in return. No human had ever felt 'more safe' for It's presence. There was no time to waste, however, and it agreed to this suggestion.

Too weak to hold on to this dream state, it's only warning to her was _Do not look into the deadlights_, before the dream faded and Jessie thought and felt nothing more until her eyes opened.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was most recently revised on 10/28/19.

Upon opening her eyes, Jessie did not immediately see anything around her. The presence of It was thick in the air, and she shivered slightly, feeling a rush of adrenaline. This in itself was not new to her, however this time it was accompanied by a sense of purpose. Standing and stretching, she felt the pop of several of her vertebrae and a satisfied sigh spilled out of her as she recalled the strange events of the previous night. Going down the stairs slowly, she turned to look at the scene she had disbelievingly walked away from. There was no clown before her, and other than the tang of blood in the air, no human mulch. Perking her eyebrow, she wondered if the creature had returned to the scene of the kill to salvage as much of it's prey as possible. This suited her fine, she hadn't thought of how she would keep the smell of rot away, and hadn't made her mind up quite yet to relinquish her space here.

Turning to the soft sound of latex squeaking against wood, she noticed a single red balloon, floating against the ceiling. Walking toward it, she took hold of the white ribbon dangling below, just long enough to rest at eye level. Memories from long ago flashed through her mind- as a child she had adored balloons. She remembered blowing up an entire bag with her mother, faceless even in this memory, and running back and forth through the multi-colored pool of orbs, delighting at the sound of them bumping together and their slow rise and fall upon being disturbed. Perhaps it was a trick of her mind, but she thought certainly that she smelled the latex more strongly after these images left her mind, and her heart ached dully. Remembering only the faintest echo of the sensation of joy, she swallowed hard against the frustration she felt. "Too bad, huh? Even pleasant memories can't jump-start my corroded heart, I guess," she muttered to herself. Taking hold of the string, Jessie pressed her hand into her jeans pocket, noticing something inside other than lint. It was cash, a handful of poorly folded and crumpled fives, tens and a fifty. Her brow furrowed slightly, as she had no recollection of having money in her pocket. A flash of thought rushed through her mind, and she felt It show her the two men, terror stricken and injured. "This was from them?" The red balloon bobbed slightly as though a head nodding in answer to her question. "Well fuck, thanks again!" Her lips spread into a small smile, and she emanated a dim air of gratitude. Numb heart aside, she knew she needed money to eat and she could appreciate that this being had taken the effort to give her what it clearly did not need from it's victims. _Their_ victims, she corrected herself mentally.

Hunger washed over her, both hers and hunger from the presence hanging so thick in the air. Jessie nodded and after smoothing her short dark brown hair with her hands, she left the creaking and, dusty house and walked toward the town's center. She knew that today, she would not be the meek, skittish girl she had appeared to be before. Today she was a huntress, and the kinds of people who brought pain and suffering to so many would be her prey. _Their_ prey, she again corrected.

As Jessie strode into town, hands in her pockets, the balloon smoothly kept pace with her. It did not bounce and bob, the wind seemed not to affect it, and she had wondered if this would draw undue attention. A brief impression told her that it would go unnoticed, and her observations of the public around her suggested that to be true. Indeed, people did not look at her or the balloon, and this came as a relief. She had hated being gawked at, stared up and down, whistled to and cat-called by any sleazy shit-bag who locked their eyes onto her tits or her hips. This was a well appreciated change of pace, and she allowed herself a grin, keeping her ears and eyes attentive for the first sign of trouble. She did not have far to go. A loud, angry shout echoed from down an alley directly to her right. Jessie investigated the noise, and saw a white trash, plaid wearing ass-hat pinning a thin looking African American teen to the brick wall of the alley. They were partially obscured from street view by an overfilled dumpster. Rage flared through Jessie's veins as angry slurs rushed into her ears, and she noted quickly that no one else was paying any mind to what she had just heard. In fact, people were looking downward and moving more swiftly. She glared at them all in disgust and bent to pick up a broken chunk of sidewalk, then stepped into the mouth of the alley and chucked the fragment at the aggressor, striking him in the temple. Blood streamed down his face and he stumbled backward, releasing the boy who frantically turned and ran past Jessie, bolting down the street and away from danger. Feeling It's murderous intent aim toward the kid, she shook her head. 'Not that one, we are going to take out this racist piece of fuck.' She practically radiated this thought as she stalked down the alley toward the confused, slightly disoriented man who finally caught her in his gaze. Anger tinged his features with red and he spat at her, fists balling as she approached.

"I wonder, what color are you on the inside you egotistical fuck?" Jessie hissed at him as she drew her knife from her pocket, pressing the button to eject the blade, flakes of dried blood crumbling off of it. Noticing her posture, the bloodthirsty look in her eyes and the knife in her hands, the man cut short the shout he had been about to release and stumbled backward down the alley.

"H-hey! What the fuck, you crazy bitch?! _What the fuck is wrong with you?!_" His voice was hoarse and wavering slightly, the sound of which excited her in a primal way and caused Jessie to run toward him, an angry grin spreading across her features.

A brief cry of "_Oh shit!_" was his only reply as he reeled backward, stumbling slightly to turn away from her to sprint in the opposite direction. With her heart pounding in her chest, the blood making her veins throb in ecstasy at the chase, Jessie realized the balloon was no longer in her possession. She grinned widely, excited by the emanating predatory hunger of It. Then she saw where It had gone. As their prey rounded the corner, he made contact with something solid and fell back harshly onto the asphalt. His mouth gaped wide in an almost comical expression of terror, and Jessie heard what sounded like the rumbling growl of a grizzly bear. Large, hairy paws with exaggerated claws thundered to the ground on either side of the man, landing on his arms causing a loud **_crack_** as his bones broke like twigs under the weight of the huge beast. The smell of urine wafted from him as he let loose a breathless scream, features twisting in agony before a gnarled bear's head with multiple rows of teeth jutting- eyes a blazing orange ringed with red- crushed his skull in it's jaws and wrenched it's head upward, tearing muscles and tendons apart. Tossing it's head up and back, the mangled pulp of the man's head flung briefly into the air, and an eyeball glinted at Jessie in the light before the mass plopped into the gaping toothy maw. Snapping it's mouth shut, the bear swallowed loudly, licking it's lips with an uncommonly long tongue. It eyes flashed to Jessie who stood only a few feet away, feet firmly planted to the pavement, staring with a shocked expression of awe. Her mind was a raucous chorus of amazement and she could only stare with her mouth wide, the corners of her lips curled upward.

Pausing briefly, Pennywise fluidly morphed into his clown form, the fur receding into his body as it slimmed down into the humanoid shape he preferred. His fangs remained large and numerous as he returned his attention to his meal, sinking his teeth into the chest of the corpse. He pulled back a thick chunk of flesh as blood squirted and spattered from the gaping stump of neck. Small sprays of blood covered his suit and neck ruffle. When he swallowed, the wet sound of meat sloshing down his inhuman gullet brought Jessie back to attention, and she stepped forward, crouching next to the corpse with a deranged little giggle. "That... Was... Amazing." Despite her energetic appearance, she spoke softly to avoid drawing attention.

Pennywise looked at her, eyes spiraling back to blue and he gave her a grin in return. His hand dug through the pants pockets of his fresh kill, and when he found what he was looking for he handed the man's wallet to Jessie. "Thanks! I'll hit a store an get something to eat, meet you back home?" As she pulled out the bills- the man had only been carrying thirty dollars on him- she glanced back up to Pennywise who had a dark look of amusement on his face, though he still seemed a bit disoriented. "You feeling a little bit better?" she asked, meeting his eyes.

"Yes, still hungry... We will hunt again soon." Was his only reply, before lunging back in for another bite, clearly ravenous in his hunger. Jessie stood once more and felt her pulse thudding heavily in her veins. She was elated at the feelings of excitement, of purpose, of victory that filled her body. Her chest stirred with these feelings, and while she couldn't say that she felt happy, she definitely felt very much alive. Alive, awake, and excited for another day- better than she had felt in three years, and she reflected on this fact as she passed out of the alleyway, placing the wallet discreetly in the dumpster on her way to the grocery store down the street.

Jessie gathered boxes and canned foods, splurging on purchasing herself some plastic-ware and a can opener. Boxes of cereal bars, cookies, cans of tuna and spam, and a box of juice pouches were her haul today, and when she arrived at the decrepit house on Neibolt St once more and entered, she pranced up the stairs and plopped down on her sleeping bag still spread across the mattress. Sucking down an entire pouch and eating an entire can of tuna, she laid back with a grin on her face, relishing the feeling of having food in her stomach.

A soft jingling brought her mind back from the brink of sleep as the last golden rays of the sun were starting to warm the insides of the house for a final time before the cold of night settled in. He was looking at her once again as though she were the strangest thing he had encountered. "You enjoy the hunt?" His tone was blank.

Jessie sat up slowly, she stared at the space beyond him on the wall for a moment as the heavy word formed in the back of her throat and hung on her tongue. "Yes." she confirmed, looking back into his blue eyes. "And yes, I know that I should feel differently about that, but I feel like for the first time in a long time I can actually feel something. I can feel you, I understand what you are capable of to a degree that should make me afraid but..."

He crawled onto the bed so quickly it startled her, and Jessie laughed softly at having been taken by surprise. Pennywise leaned his face down to her cheek, taking in her scent. Her cheek burned with color at his proximity, the sound of his breath causing her to crick her neck to attempt to hide her ticklishness. His eyes regarded her cautiously and she felt the energy of discernment radiating off of him. "You're not." he said quietly.

Jessie shook her head and shrugged her shoulders slightly. "I'm sorry... You say that like it's a bad thing." She perked her brow as she said this, looking to him for clarification.

"I'm hungry." he replied quietly. Jessie took a moment to observe him, eyes searching his face checking for any ,'crumbling' as he had been the previous night. He didn't appear to be in enough disrepair to start disintegrating, but was obviously tired. Looking uncertain, Jessie leaned into him and wrapped her arms around his chest, focusing the humming light of her energy and pressing it firmly against him, into him. He paused his breathing and though he did not hug her back, she could feel him accept what she gave, soaking her in like a sponge. After a few long moments of this transfer, she slowly withdrew from him, breaking the connection and conserving her energy once more.

"Why not the young one?" he asked, eyes locking onto hers.

Jessie considered this carefully. She had passed judgement on someone and had not only allowed, but encouraged him to eat them without a drip of remorse, without sadness. "Because the young ones can grow up to be decent people." She answered, returning his gaze. "If fear is your goal, adults can also be scared. And it would make the world a better place, a more peaceful place if those who thrive on harming others weren't left unchecked. And unfortunately I do understand that given what I condone I am a part of the problem. I just want to make the problem smaller. "

Pennywise leaned back and regarded her quietly. The thought occurred to him that were she like the losers he had narrowly escaped she would not behave in this way. Fear of destruction was a new experience for It, but this girl did not make it question her motives. Her muffled emotions, strangled by shock and past wounds were in line with her words. Were she ever to fear him, though... He would taste her fear. Calmly, Jessie sat more upright and reached out to touch his cheek, fascinated by the stripe of red over white that did not smear. With a sudden spring, Pennywise was on his feet again. "You want to. I can feel it." As he said with a wicked little smirk, reaching out a gloved hand for her to take. With a grin, she accepted.

"Yes, I think now is the perfect time to go get you dinner."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter most recently revised 10/28/19.

Jessie took once more to the streets of Derry with a solitary red balloon floating alongside her. Pennywise had chosen to conserve energy by accompanying her with this most simple manifestation. As she walked down the streets, it became clear that most of the shops had closed, and the average townsfolk had filed back into their homes to eat and rest for the evening. The sound of voices drew Jessie's attention. A trio of men, appearing to be in their mid thirties, stood near the entrance of a bar with cigarette tips glowing in the moonlight. The aura that waved off of them felt thick with sexual aggression, and she heard one of them complain about how his 'bitch doesn't know when the fuck to shut her mouth, or better yet, suck this dick'. His friends agreed with him, laughing their idiotic laughs and grabbing themselves, giving their cocks a shake through their pants for emphasis. Rolling her eyes in revulsion, Jessie wondered if these men were the menu for tonight, and walked down the street looking ahead of her while pretending not to have noticed them. A loud whistle caught her ear, and she turned to look back at them slowly.

"Hey there sweet thing!" the tallest of the three called out. Jessie made note of the fact that the first to speak was the one who had spoken so foully of his partner only moments before. Standing across from the street from these goons, Jessie turned and stared in response, offering nothing and merely observing them. All three responded to her attention in the same way, taking only a fraction of a moment before they came, intoxicated and stumbling, across the empty street. As they approached within fifteen feet of her, she took a few steps back away from them to gauge their response. They took the bait.

"Hey honey, don't be like that. We just wanna have a good time, and you can come party with us. It'll be fun!" the man again addressed Jessie. His tone did little to hide the intentions with which he spoke, and the disgust unfurling in her core was difficult to swallow.

"Look, I'm not looking for trouble," she replied in the softest voice she could muster, "I just wanted to take a walk because it's a nice night."

"A pretty little thing like you shouldn't be wandering all alone, there are dangerous folks around here. We'll come with you, keep you safe." His aura darkened as he spoke, voice remaining friendly as malice gathered behind his eyes. Both of the others to either side and slightly behind him grinned and looked to each other, then back to her with the familiar hunger of lust in their eyes. The group took a collective step toward Jessie when she turned and bolted quickly down the street. Her grip on the red balloon's string released and she targeted her destination, a cemetery two blocks away.

"Don't be that way baby girl!" she heard the lead of their group cry after her, accompanied by their thundering footfalls against the pavement as they gave chase. Thankfully she was faster, and increased her lead before plunging into the shadows of the cemetery, darting around headstones and statues carefully to avoid hitting any flowers or offerings. Upon finding a freshly dug grave, she crouched behind the mound of dirt to its side as she heard the men approach the gates, slowing to a stop as they looked among the dark landscape striped with trees and tombstones, dark crypts looming both near and far like creatures' dens.

"What's the matter boys? Are you scared?" Jessie called out to them, still hidden from their view. Her knife was clutched tight in her hand now, and she held herself low in preparation to lunge if one of them were to come too close. She heard them curse and agree to split up and call out when they find the bitch. One traveled in her direction as the other two veered off into the middle and far side of the cemetery.

"Come on now doll face," the leader called out, alerting Jessie to the fact that he was the one coming in her direction, "Don't be like this. The boys and I just want to have some fun, we won't hurt you." His tone indicated that they had the exact opposite intentions and she gritted her teeth as memories clawed at the back of her mind. It was the same tone with which her stepfather had spoken to her the night he died, before she had caved in his skull around the disgusting tissues that formed his thoughts and directed his meat-vehicle. The thought that this was her inner wording to describe someone's body disturbed her to a degree, and she shuddered as she tightened her grip on the knife handle. A cold, wet touch slapped onto her arm as the stench of decaying flesh flooded her senses. When she turned to see what had touched her, she jumped back so hard she lost her footing and knocked the wind out of herself against a tombstone. Curling up to cradle her stomach, her mind finally made the connection that what she saw was her _friend_ and she cracked a deranged smile as the lead scumbag trotted up, thinking he had scared her into showing herself.

A thick, wet, gurgling growl issued from the place Jessie had jumped away from, and this grabbed his attention. He turned angrily, flexing the muscles of his exposed arms in challenge of whatever strange creature made the noise, but fell silent as a rotting corpse shambled forward. The gray flesh was dripping off the skeletal face and form in ragged sheets. The would-be rapist's body quivered as though he had been struck dumb by a blow to the spine. As she noticed his muscles tense to run Jessie sliced the back of his right heel open, causing the man to fall to his side screaming in pain and terror. Unable to run, he incoherently shouted "NO! _No no no no **no no no no**_!" as the shuffling decomposed figure descended with dead milky eyes and teeth growing suddenly long and sharp. These fangs gnashed into his arm as he held it up to defend himself. A chunk of his forearm came away as the creature pulled back, blood spraying over it as it lunged forward suddenly gaining speed with the first mouthful taken. The third strike tore out his throat, and Jessie marveled at the image of the zombie feasting on flesh, feeling the ghost of fear she had experienced as a child when zombies would cause her nightmares and wake her at night, trembling. She had long ago lost that feeling, but felt it whisper inside her now, making her heart race with excitement, and she smiled widely, putting her hand to her chest as she finally caught her breath. Only then did she become aware of the other two men scrambling in her direction, calling out to ask if their friend was okay, and what had happened.

Having not received an answer, both men came forth, seeing only the undead corpse chewing the meat of their fallen friend's neck. They froze with terror and confusion. Slinking up behind them quietly, staying low to the ground, Jessie lunged forward from behind them and shoved them square in the asses, causing them both to tumble forward into the open grave. Turning her head toward It, still appearing as a decay ridden zombie, she gestured into the hole where the men were scrambling, screaming and clawing at the dirt sides desperately. She said "Bon appetit," and watched with her heart racing as it jumped into the pit, tearing into their flesh, blood spraying up and out of the hole in spurts as arteries were ripped open. Their screaming soon subsided, and the wet sound of crunching, cracking bones, and swallowing of greedy mouthfuls was all there was to be heard. Two wallets flipped onto the dirt before her, and she took the cash once more, thanking him as Pennywise himself jumped up, coated down his front and mouth with blood and bits of gore.

"You smelled different," he commented, grinning widely, "You felt it, a little. You felt fear." His eyes shone orange at her and he watched her, contemplating.

"Yes! Well.... Mostly... Almost. I remembered what it felt like though, and I feel fucking great!" she replied with a wide smile, fighting back the urge to hug him out of concern for staining her clothes. He sensed this and giggled maniacally.

"Strange girl, so very strange~." His voice was almost musical and he shivered, jingling the little bells adorning his Victorian costume. "I will finish my meal here, but I shall expect to see you... At 'home'?" He used the term she had used earlier during their previous hunt, and she smiled and nodded to him. Before taking her leave she scavenged the lead asshole for his wallet to add his cash to her collection before half walking, half skipping back to the abandoned house. Upon arriving, she entered and looked around at the dusty, decaying interior of the building and felt somewhat disappointed. Images flashed in her mind of what this place could have been, with some money for repairs and some elbow grease. All of that required more money than she could ever collect from their hunts, though, and she resigned herself to going up the stairs to the room she had claimed. Sitting down on the mattress, she reached into her backpack to take out a disheveled looking journal, black leather cover fraying at the edges with multiple dimples and scratches in it's surface. Fishing out a ballpoint pen, she flipped through the yellowed pages, and looked over them while icy numbness crept back over her heart, muting her excitement as quickly it came.

Jessie tried to evoke her own emotions, to pull them from the depths of her mind and write them on the paper. Anything would suit her needs, really. She just needed to catch her bearings. Her mind turned back to Pennywise and a small smirk twisted up the corner of her mouth. _He_ knew how to deal with assholes. It was nice to see the people who caused pain and misery on the receiving end of suffering; the world felt more just. It made her heart pound with excitement, bordering on happiness. When he had appeared as a zombie to feast on her pursuers, her pulse had quickened from more than just being startled. There had been _genuine_ emotion stirring inside her, she knew. It felt wonderful to her, like her body had been plugged in after a prolonged hiatus. For the first time in three years, she could feel herself inside her body and was looking forward to waking up the next morning. She was also proud that Pennywise was looking and sounding stronger, less injured. This gave her a shimmer of hope that she too could heal and the damage dealt to her heart could be lessened, possibly even reversed. Her hands could not transcribe this to paper, and when she tried to put it into words the abstract emotions died in the pen. Instead, she drew the clown, drew his face with a smile and a small heart in the corner of the page.

With a **pop!** Pennywise appeared in the room, giving a little bow whilst giggling gleefully. "Ah yes, _home_ at last, and here my little friend waits! A drawing? You made a drawing of Pennywise?" He fanned his face with his hand, an exaggerated and comical gesture. Jessie laughed softly and sat back, setting her journal aside.

"Yeah, I was trying to sift through my feelings... I haven't felt much in so long, I think I'm not quite aware enough yet to really write any of it out. You have had such an impact on my emotions... I really want to thank you." Tears of gratitude rested in her eyes for a moment before she blinked them back, smiling and observing that he was no longer covered in blood. Standing, Jessie stepped forward and folded her arms around the looming clown. She gave him a tight squeeze, pushing the feeling of her gratitude forward into him. With surprise, she felt him actually return the embrace though confusion was his primary response per the energy she felt radiating from him.

Stepping back after a long embrace, she looked up into his dazzlingly blue eyes and asked, "Has no one ever felt this way to you before? You seem confused." He chuckled at her, a low distorted bubbling sound.He shook his head, teeth sharpening into fangs.

"Why my dear little friend, _you_ are confused. Pennywise eats humans, little one. You have seen, you know, and yet you do not fear. What would cause the rabbit to slumber alongside the wolf?" He leaned down, his eyes boring into hers as he watched her for an emotional response. Perhaps he was seeking fear in her gaze, but did not find it.

"I know you eat humans, yes. But you don't have a monopoly on death, you know. There are humans who have done more unspeakable things in my own personal experience than you have around me. And even aside from people being terrible creatures on principal, it's dangerous to do anything in this world. Sure, you cause death, but so does everything else. Besides, you don't feel so bad to be around, I'm used to being alone. Everyone needs someone... I'm really glad you're feeling better, you felt so weak before...." Her eyes opened wide when she saw him bare his fangs at her, eyes blazing red with fury etched into his face. Pennywise halted in mid lunge, restrained in the air above her chalk line marking the barrier she had created with her light upon claiming this place. She felt herself tighten in response to the pressure of his anger and malice. He hadn't directed that part of himself at her before, but she knew what he could do. This made her stomach cramp, and twist, and she sat uncomfortably on the bed, looking downward. "Look, I'm sorry... I didn't mean any offense. I'm just happy you feel better." Her gaze was locked on her knees as she said this. She was tense, but not afraid of him reaching her. She didn't want to look into his eyes right then. She did not want to imprint this moment as his face in her mind.

"Being called weak nearly ended me. That kind of talk, little one, cannot be allowed to happen. I will not forgive it again." he told her, eyes now a blazing orange. Jessie did not understand exactly what he meant by this, but feeling the seriousness of his tone she nodded her head. "Now then-" Pennywise shook his head vigorously for a moment, eyes returning to a bright blue, "This house was mine where I came from, and it shall be mine again~. You may stay as well, so long as you continue to bring tasty treats."

"Sure, it doesn't look like this town is running out of shitty folks any time soon, I can do that," Jessie agreed. Standing to her feet, she walked toward him tentatively, looking at his eyes and taking in the bright blue orbs looking back at her. She offered him a small smile and reached out to touch his cheek. "Thank you, for letting me stay. It means a lot to me to have a place to call home." Using the contact as a means to push a stream of her energy into him, she fed him her response, from her apology about upsetting him to the curiosity that burned inside her, a desire to know more about him so that she could understand his anger.

Pennywise took a gloved hand to hers, holding it as he lowered Jessie back onto the bed. "Close your eyes little one, Pennywise will show you the truth. Just remember dear, not to look into the deadlights~." His singsong voice swam through her head as she felt herself lulled, unnaturally sleepy, into unconsciousness.

Jessie plunged into the blackness again, feeling the vibrant orange light behind her and not daring to turn toward it, not daring to try to perceive it. With a satisfied hum, the light changed everything about their surroundings. She felt her twinkling little star of light plunged through a flood of It's memories, saw a meteor crash to an Earth so much like hers, but not quite the same. She saw eons pass by, life and death unfolding in a twisted dance around this creature as it lay sleeping, waiting. When humans came it awoke, but only periodically, to feed. The cycle was consistent, and she could see how ingrained into this other town of Derry the creature was, could see it's radiating influence blinding and manipulating people throughout the town. She watched as the losers club evaded it's attacks, assaulted it until it needed to rest, and their return as adults to finish what they had started. She witnessed their near success. Jessie did not watch the deadlights when they appeared, but closed her minds eye and allowed herself to sense them, distracted only by when her own light, her soul, became visible from It's perspective.

Darkness once more. Jessie felt It probing her for a response, and she wrapped herself around the part of it that searched in an embrace of acceptance. "It's okay, I understand now. I'm sorry, I hadn't known." She pulsed this thought at him and felt its acknowledgement, and It withdrew, leaving her to a dreamless sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter most recently revised 10/28/19.

Warmth was the sensation that first stirred Jessie the morning following It's recollections being shared with her. Not an unpleasant warmth, but the softly radiating body heat of another. Her brown eyes fluttered open, flecks of green catching the light as her irises turned toward the morning light filtering through the dust coated window, illuminating dust motes above her. There was an arm over her side and a long form pressed against her back. This realization caused her to turn her head to confirm her suspicions, and she sighed with relief to see Pennywise laying behind her, eyes a bright sparkling blue as he watched her quietly, a queer little grin on his lips.

"Good morning little one~," he said softly, and the whisper of his breath on her neck made her skin prickle with goosebumps.

"G-good morning?" She rolled over under his arm, laying to face him as she realized that his warmth was all that was keeping her comfortable. The air of the room itself was numbingly brisk. "Thank you... For keeping me warm, I mean." The deep chuckle in his throat vibrated his chest against her chilly arms, and she shivered at the feeling. 

"But of course, it's my pleasure." His reply came slithering from his lips through her ears, and her stomach tightened. Jessie was hungry, and she was cold. With her brow furrowed, she pressed closer against him, body trembling as cold seeped into her from the surrounding air. "Does my pet need better accommodations?" 

Jessie paused, hearing this. "Pet? I mean... I guess so. It's just cold, I've dealt with worse and survived... It would be nice to be comfortable again." Unbidden, her mind was called upon to produce an image of this room that would satisfy her needs. Not much changed in her mind's eye, a mattress with a blanket and pillows atop a bedframe, a mirror sitting on a dresser. Those were the luxuries she desired, and she could sense It probing her mind for this information.

"My my, such a humble little one my pet is." he cooed in his singsong voice that lifted her spirits while at the same time making her feel self conscious. "Pennywise will help you get what you want, if you go into Derry and select the next morsel~."

"I can do that," she replied, sitting up slowly and shivering as her exposed arms prickled against the air. "I need to wash my clothes, it's been too long. All I have left though... Ugh." Jessie reached into her bag and pulled out a white shirt with pink flowers adorning the front and a rose colored skirt, decorated with an outer layer of lace. She frowned with disgust. "I mean, clothes are clothes. I'll just have to hope the washer and dryer move quickly." Jessie dug out a plastic bag, tied up at the bottom of her pack where her other jeans, black t-shirts and tank-tops and an assortment of undergarments were tightly packed. Opening the bag, she removed the tank and jeans she had worn the last two days and stuffed them in quickly. Looking down at herself in her black sports bra and boxer briefs, she sighed and removed them as well, quickly packing them away with the rest and slipped on the white and pink outfit. "I'll get these washed and find somewhere to get clean. I'll keep my eyes open for someone for you, I'm sure it won't be hard." She glanced back at Pennywise then, who had been staring at her with an almost vacant expression His lips were parted slightly, lower lip glistening with saliva. Her cheeks reddened with color as she recognized that she had shamelessly exposed herself to him with no regard for modesty. At least he wasn't acting vulgar about it she acknowledged, and returned the bag of clothes to her backpack, slipping it onto her shoulders.

"I will remain here for the moment." he said suddenly, making her jump after the long silence on his part. "You run along, and when you find your target, shine just as bright as you can, and I will come to you~".

"Hell, if I can manage it I'll try to make this one a delivery. I will keep that in mind, though." Giving him a small smile, she took a cereal bar to get something in her stomach and left the house at a brisk pace, hating her diminutive wardrobe for cool days like this. It felt different, not having the red balloon with her. She felt more vulnerable and she did not like it.

Upon entering the town's coin laundromat, Jessie quickly exchanged a few singles for quarters and quickly put in her clothes to wash and sat quietly against the wall, observing her surroundings. The laundromat was in a mild state of disrepair, but the machines appeared to work fine, for which she was thankful. An elderly lady worked behind the counter where dry-cleaning could be dropped off and picked up, and where cash could be exchanged for coins. She had felt like a kindly old soul to Jessie, a refreshing change of pace from most of the people in the town. A kind young man who appeared to have down syndrome was mopping up a spill on the other side of the facility from Jessie and she smiled at him when he waved to her, returning the gesture. So there were good people here, after all. All the more reason to take out the trash.

Her clothing washed without event, and Jessie relaxed while watching the roll and tumble of her clothing in the dryer she had picked when she heard a splash. A young man, bulging muscles and wife beater on full display had tossed a cup of soda over the most recently mopped area before the young maintenance man. He laughed as though he had just seen the most amusing thing, and mimicked in a cruel voice "Suh-sorry there, looks like you muh-missed a spot. Dumb ass!" He strode right out the door afterward, as Jessie stood with fury plain on her features. Holding her breath to keep herself from screaming, she locked her eyes on him and watched as the douche-bag entered a gym a few doors down on the opposite side of the street with his freshly cleaned laundry slung in a gym bag over his shoulder.

Jessie walked over to the maintenance man and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I am so sorry that asshole acted like that, you deserve to be treated better. Thank you for all your hard work, it looks like you do a great job keeping things clean here." He glanced up at her shyly and nodded a little, with tears standing in his eyes. He was already moving on to mopping up the sticky mess. "People like him get what they deserve sooner or later, I promise." The dryer containing her clothes buzzed loudly, indicating it was finished. 

Jessie grabbed her laundry and stuffed it into her backpack resolving to fold it later that night. Bidding a good day to the old lady and young man, she trotted out to the gym she saw the buff asshole enter. He was lifting weights when she entered, appearing to be fresh still. She decided she would have enough time to shower before dealing with him, and purchased a day pass to use the facility. Quickly, she entered the ladies' locker room. She gathered a pair of boxer briefs, a sports bra, a black T-shirt with a worn skull graphic on the front, and a pair of dark jeans with tattered hems. She took her small scrubber and travel 3-in-1 soap and locked the remainder of her possessions and bags in a locker with an old worn looking lock from her highschool days, wearing her key on her wrist with a plastic bracelet. Grabbing a public-use towel stacked beside the showers, she entered one and made quick work of lathering up and rinsing off, fingers massaging her scalp through the suds as she luxuriated in the sensation of warm water running over her body.

Dressing quickly, she collected her belongings and trotted back to the main room of the gym, eyes roving for her prey. She spotted him just as he left, and followed him out the door, observing which direction he chose. Jessie grinned widely when she noted that he was headed toward Neibolt St, and she trotted up to walk in step with him, initiating conversation. "Hey there, stranger. How much do you bench in there?" she asked, hair still wet from the shower.

The man gave a surprised look at first before grinning at her. "About 325, why you asking sweet cheeks?" 

"Oh, no reason. I noticed your... Bulging biceps and wondered... You into spooky shit?" Jessie smirked and perked her brow at him, putting on her best 'impress me' face. 

"I ain't no scared bitch. What kinda shit you talking?" 

"That house over there?" Jessie pointed at the abandoned house. "I want to go in and get a look around but it just gives me the creeps, you know?"

"I got nothin' to do, come on let's go take a look around." The large man began strutting toward the house as she realized that the grass around the house was dying. It hadn't been that way two days ago... It struck her as odd.

"Hell yeah! It'll be nice to have a big strong guy like you around to keep me safe." Her stomach fluttered with anticipation as neared the alien presence lying in wait. "So, now that I think about it, you were at the laundromat earlier, right? Were you having a problem with the guy working there???" 

"Oh, pfft. Yeah, I was there. Running a few errands before pumping up the guns. Can't believe they let people like that work in public. Like, fuck, go back to the basement fuckin freak, right?" Jessie almost paused her stride listening to this fuck speak. Her face burned crimson as she loosed a quiet hum in response. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, Jessie stoked her fire. She built up energy within her to burn bright, making her body warm as she radiated and felt It react with a wave of carnal excitement. Her lips curled up into a dark smirk as she followed the over-confident buff moron to the door of the house. She watched as he checked the door frame and surrounding area for something before opening the door and stepping in. Following him in, Jessie shut the door behind them with a grin widening on her face. 

"Oh fuck! Damn girl, I thought you were scared to come in here and now you're shutting the door?" He turned and looked her up and down before freezing as though he saw something he couldn't comprehend. His eyes widened and bulged while he choked on an attempted scream. 

Jessie looked down at herself when she noticed a light prickling on her chest and stomach. There was a large spider with white and silver hairs covering it's abdomen and thorax with blood red legs and fangs crawling up her body. Looking into it's eyes, she found them to be orange and red rather than black and beady. Her heart hammered in her chest as she hadn't expected a spider, hadn't felt it's approach. It seemed to simply begin to exist on her body. Jessie had been afraid of spiders before, and this close contact stirred her with discomfort. The choked noises being made by their prey, however, drew her attention and she grinned at him menacingly as she stepped forward to stand near him. The spider leaped from her front onto the man's body, growing impossibly large in the air as it went. The spider was the size of a cocker spaniel when it landed on the man's chest, fangs dripping a bright green fluid that burned like corrosive acid when it touched his flesh. 

With a trembling voice, the meathead begged in rushed and tumbled words that Jessie take it off him, save him, _save him **SAVE HIM**_**-** as the spider reared back, fangs bared, and lunged forward to sink them into his cheeks. The smell of burnt flesh pervaded the space as his face melted away, fizzling and foaming first white, then yellow, and finally red as the tissues of his cheeks and jaws sloughed off in chunks. Gurgling was the only noise to be heard as the still living man drowned on the blood and venom collecting in the back of his throat. As his eyes began to glaze, the spider grew in length and its limbs retracted. The transitional mass was blurry, imperceptible to Jessie, until Pennywise solidified before her, crouched over the dying man. His mouth grew impossibly large and multiple rows of long, needle-like teeth tore into the man's chest, ripping away a greedy mouthful of swollen pectoral. He did not stop to regard her, but tore and swallowed huge chunks off of the man at an insane pace. When only bones and clothing remained, he picked them up and vanished with a **pop**!

Jessie giggled softly to herself, feeling the rush of her pounding heart and trying to rub the smile out of her cheeks. "Well damn.... You don't see that every day." she mumbled as she turned and went up the stairs to the room she had claimed. The door was shut. Opening it slowly, she was surprised to find the room changed entirely. It contained furniture, simple and black like she had imagined with a thick comforter over the cozy looking mattress. A lamp rested on a small nightstand next to the bed, and was somehow lit, which surprised her. The dimensions of the room seemed wrong, it looked larger, and the walls were colored a brick red though there was no smell of paint. Stepping forward, she was further surprised to realize that the floor in this room was no longer warped and dusty, but polished and firm. Timidly, Jessie stepped in and took off her shoes by the door, not wanting to make a mess in this beautiful place. She walked over to the dresser that stood with a mirror above it. For the first time in years, she paused and regarded her reflection. She took in the face that stared back at her, strong cheeks despite the hunger she had experienced sometimes through her travels. Her hair was a deep brown, a little ragged on the top with short sides. Her brown eyes burned with determination, and she noticed that her pulse was slowly becoming less visible in her neck. 

Pulling open the top drawer of the dresser, Jessie's eyes welled up with tears when she saw that there were boxer briefs and sports bras, exactly like she had taken off in front of Pennywise, layering the bottom of the drawer. Backing up, she sat on the bed when she felt it press against the back of her thighs. Sinking into the softness of the mattress, Jessie couldn't resist the urge to lay back, holding her hands over her chest as she experienced an overwhelming wave of gratitude. The feeling was so strong that she worried about suffocating on it. The tightness in her chest surprised her- she hadn't thought a good feeling could be so painful. Tears leaked from her eyes as she laid smiling and struggling to control her breathing for a moment. The pressure of the feeling became more bearable after a few moments, and Jessie sat up slowly. She hugged herself tightly, and bit her lips together. Her heart ached and leapt when she heard the tell-tale jingle of Pennywise entering her room with a **pop**, appearing with no visible origin, thankfully not covered in human remains. 

"Does my pet like the room Pennywise has prepared for her?" he asked, grinning widely. "It feels like you do."

"Yes, I love it. Thank you-" She approached him and wrapped her arms around him tightly, squeezing as firmly as her muscles would allow. "This means so much to me.. I feel like I can't thank you enough."

Pennywise chuckled deep in his chest, stroking her hair with one hand. "Just keep bringing Pennywise tasty treats and this room is yours to keep little one~. But why the tears?" His tone changed as he asked this, as though she didn't make sense to him.

"I just haven't felt anything in so long... I am so grateful, this room is better than anything I've ever had.... Even before.. I just don't know what to do, my heart hurts I'm so happy."

Jessie feels the probing energies around her, feeling ever curious, sampling her emotions for itself. Pennywise made a strange face, appearing confused. "Humans..." The word sounded strange coming from his mouth, and she was surprised by the alien tone of his voice. 

"Yeah, messy shit, I know. I wish there was an instruction manual or something." Jessie released her embrace and stepped back, wiping her eyes with the sides of her wrists, drying her eyes and cheeks. "You feel curious, are you using me to understand emotions???" The candor with which she asked this surprised her, but the response came just as easily.

"Yes, consider it an experiment~." He grinned at her and leaned forward, taking in her scent deeply. Jessie's eyes widened as he leaned closer, and she shivered a little bit at the feeling of him so close.

"I hope I smell alright, I did manage to shower today..." She said softly, leaning her head away to offer her neck to him, wondering if this was part of the 'experiment.' Suddenly, he grabbed her arms and spun her around, gesturing behind the bed to a simple black privacy screen. Jessie walked toward it curiously, sure that it hadn't been in the room before. Pennywise followed her with a bounce in his step, clearly pleased with himself. Her cry of surprised excitement earned a giggle from him as she caught sight of the claw-foot tub beyond the privacy screen. "What?! How?!" 

"Pennywise has his ways, yes he does." His voice trilled with excitement as he spoke, and she twirled around to hug him again tightly, burying her face into his chest.

"You're amazing~... I don't know how you do what you do, but you are absolutely amazing." She smiled up at him and noted the feeling of him probing her emotions. Leaning her cheek against his chest, she unfurled the overwhelming waves of gratitude that threatened to take away her breath, and it felt as though the emotions passed into him, allowing her to breathe. He rumbled in response to this, a strange sound that pleasantly surprised Jessie, as the aura surrounding him was calm and content. 

Just as she had thought about how tired she was beginning to feel, Pennywise hefted her up and carried her to the bed, placing her on top of it. Lowering himself behind her, he laid down as well and she felt the dip in the mattress pull her toward him. Jessie looked into his eyes and let the emotions roll over her, into him. His blue eyes shimmered with tiny golden flecks as he absorbed her sensations. His gentle tug took it's toll along with the intensity of the emotional breakthrough, draining Jessie quickly. She wriggled her way under the comforter, slipping her jeans and shirt off underneath and dropping them to the floor beside the bed. She became aware of Pennywise beneath the blanket alongside her, though she noticed no action taken to get beneath it on his part.

Giggling tiredly, Jessie turned to face him and cuddled into his chest, comfortably nuzzling into his neck ruffle. The little quiver of excitement in response made her smile as her eyelids drooped. Jessie closed her heavy eyelids and allowed herself to be lulled to sleep by the low rumbling purr of his contentment.

Pennywise watched this fragile human pressing against its form. It luxuriated in the human's pulsations, the waves of her emotions soaking into it with the relaxing quality of a warm bath. It steeped in her presence, small as she was compared to It's true form. It contemplated these simple feelings and waited for her to wake.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter most recently revised 10/28/19.

Jessie wondered for a moment if she was dreaming, as she began to return from the deep embrace of sleep. Her body was warm against the long slender form of Pennywise beside her. As she stirred, she felt his eyes upon her and her cheeks flushed with color. The first thing she noticed was that she didn't feel numb... but happy. It was a whisper of the emotion she knew she could have experienced, but she was grateful for the reprieve from endless numbness. Meeting his shimmering blue gaze, she smiled at him.

"You are comfortable, little one?" he asked softly, his grinning lips indicating plainly that he knew she was.

"Yes, very~." Jessie responded fondly and began to wriggle and stretch beneath the blanket, surprised internally at how cozy she was with such a strange presence all around her. Only days ago she had felt nothing, desired the company of no one. She supposed that this being was a different circumstance, that she could hardly expect herself to feel the same toward It as she did toward anyone else. He distracted her with a deep rumbling chuckle. 

A cocky grin widened across his red lips, and he leaned in to her ear, speaking softly, "_Pennywise is one of a kind, my pet._" Jessie trembled a little as his breath brushed over the skin of her neck, and she bit her lips together to silence herself. Her stomach was rolling and fluttering and her body felt uncomfortably warm in response. A deep inhalation against the sensitive skin of her neck brought his lips close to her flesh, and a small drip of his saliva strung to her skin. "_Mmm_ but what is this you're feeling~? How _excited_ you smell..." His eyes blazed orange at her as her heart began to pound. Jessie loosed a gasp when she felt the wet, warm sensation of his tongue dragged along the pulse in her neck. "What an interesting flavor... Tell me, my pet, what it is?"

She bit her lip and looked into his eyes, pushing images toward him of the licking, kissing, suckling and exploration of foreplay- it had been years since she had felt arousal that was truly her own. She was not entirely sure if she was ready, but her body had no questions of its own. Her mound radiated with heat as the tension in her abdomen grew, tightening within her like a fist. The ache she felt was disquieting to her and brought forth unbidden, painful memories. Squeezing her eyes shut, she pressed her palms to her face to hide her expression, shamefully aware that this being did not need physical cues to read her. To her vast relief she felt him withdraw slightly, discontinuing his advance. Jessie sighed deeply, a ragged and worn sound to her own ears, and slowly brought herself to look back into the golden eyes of Pennywise.

"Listen, I was feeling... aroused... I know you already know, and I'm sure the images that ruined it were available to you." Her voice trembled a little bit, causing him to inhale deeply, running the taste of her shame over his tongue. He decided quickly that this was not a flavor he desired within her, and so he chose to disengage from his current experiment. The other feeling though... That was something new and intoxicating, and he wanted more. Absorbing little bits of her sensations, he felt the heat, the tightening, her ache for stimulation. Pennywise resolved silently that he would return to this experiment when the human calmed.

"It's no matter, my pet. Put it out of your mind and focus on the hunt. Pennywise is hungry, little one~." He chuckled at the perverse images her mind conjured following his statement and cataloged the notions for later use.

"That sounds like a good idea. I've been wanting to have a drink or two, perhaps the bar will yield further results for you." Jessie replied swiftly, and lifted herself from the bed. Stepping to the drawer containing the undergarments he had provided for her, she felt the swell of gratitude lift her spirits once more as she slid a pair of boxer briefs and a sports bra onto her body. Picking up the dark jeans and skull tee from the floor beside the bed she pulled them on. Unwrapping a cereal bar, she ate slowly and considered what kind of depraved folks would be their prey that day.

"I'll hit the bar tonight. For the next few hours I should walk around, get a sense of who causes trouble around here. Are you going to come with me today?"

"Do you want me to?" he asked with a brief giggle, red lip glistening beneath his wide grin.

"Well, yeah... If not I guess I can just 'burn' at you but it makes me feel better to have you there." Jessie offered, shrugging. 

Popping from the bed to the door, he opened it and gestured for her to walk through. "After you~" he quipped, teeth sharpening as she walked through the doorway with a grin, tingling throughout her body at the surrounding feeling of It's hunger. She did not hear him walk behind her, but felt the heavy presence surrounding her like a warm blanket. She supposed the feeling was more stiff than she would like, but knowing It was with her made her feel invisible- indestructible. In her heart she knew it was dangerous to assume this entity would come to her aid if she picked a fight with someone she couldn't handle on her own, but the confidence she felt in the creature only seemed to make it more comfortable to be around. As she walked out the door of the dusty and decaying house, she noticed the scent of latex and felt the sudden tug of a plastic balloon ribbon tugging at her wrist. It was tied there, floating along with a sense of sentience. As she walked into town, she again noted how people's eyes turned away from her, or seemed to look around her. People would move aside to let her pass but did not make eye contact with her any time she would venture a glance. As she walked, she kept her ears keenly open for signs of trouble. The streets were calm where she walked that day, and she passed through several blocks before she heard the merry tune of an ice cream truck and made her way toward the sound, considering whether or not she should make a purchase. Her blood ran cold when she saw the man in the ice cream truck leaning on his elbows talking to the singular blonde pig-tailed girl holding crumpled singles near the side of the truck. The aura of the interaction was dark, the man gave off waves of predatory hunger and the thrill of desire. The girl seemed uncomfortable, but also hopeful. As Jessie watched, the man drew away from the side window of the truck and closed the panel, then opened the back of the truck. Trotting toward them with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Jessie tried to call out as she saw the girl go to the back of the truck. The man held out an ice cream cone to her before grabbing her wrists and hauling her in, door slamming shut. Jessie sprinted, toward the van then, bellowing in outrage. As she approached, the ice cream truck burned rubber for a moment, then lurched down the road, gaining speed rapidly.

A loud **POP** caught her attention, and she noticed a red balloon tied to the handle of an unattended bicycle at the same time she realized the balloon from her wrist had vanished. Throwing herself into the bike, she took off as quickly as her legs would allow after the truck, eyes locked onto it as she pounded the pedals down hard over and over while wind whistled in her ears. With the sound of her blood rushing through her ears, heart hammering in her ribcage, Jessie kept pace enough to follow the vehicle winding around neighborhood streets. It made a handful of turns, then took a small dirt path that veered off into a tangle of foliage. Following with fire in her veins, Jessie skidded to a stop on the bike, dropping it to the ground and took large, determined strides to the shaking van. The sound of muffled screaming clawing at her ears. She held her knife in her hand with the blade ejected before she reached the truck doors, into which the girl had been taken. Ripping at the handle of the back door she was relieved to her core when it swung open, and the middle aged balding man who had been trying to wrestle the blonde girl to the floor of the vehicle jumped up, smacking his head against the roof of the truck in his surprise. The girl writhed and scrambled to the open doors of the truck and Jessie grabbed her arm, pulling her out roughly as her other hand kept the knife pointed at the stunned predator whose pants fell around his ankles. With disgust, Jessie regarded the man's erection and spat toward him. "Girl, just get out of here and go home as quickly as you can." she hissed angrily, at which the child ran. Jessie jumped up, both feet landing on the edge of the inside of the van. "Well hey there, _motherfucker_. How **old** was she exactly? _Seven_?" Rushing forward for a quick swipe of her knife, she swung at the exposed erection before her and cut across the tip, causing a loud and mortified howl to erupt from the man. Jessie laughed darkly as the door slammed shut behind her, enclosing them in partial darkness. The man cried out, sobbing softly and crumbling to the floor of the van, hands clutching his bleeding shaft. 

"P-please! Let me go... I have kids!" he begged, voice shaking with heaving sobs.

Clicking her tongue at him, Jessie crouched in front of him in the darkness, shaking his head. "Mmmm no... I'm afraid you broke the rules. Children are to be protected, provided for and nurtured, not _fucked_ you disgusting pig." Her voice was hard and cold. It felt like venom in her mouth. His whimpers and sobs made her chuckle with sadistic amusement. It's energies tensed and vibrated around them, and in the darkness the wet crunching of muscles and tissues breaking and twisting filled the air. The man went quiet then, and his breaths stilled for long moments, panting harshly as he caught his breath only for him to hold his lungs taut again in trembling, quivering terror. A gurgling laugh, thick with the sound of phlegm stirred from the darkness. 

_Slap. Scrape. Slap. Scrape_.

The sound of something slapping it's appendages down and dragging it's mass forward toward him caused their prey to weep with despair, curling as tightly into himself as he could, though he had lost enough blood to feel faint by this time. His perception blurred and he stared as hard as he could into the inky blackness before him. He could see something there, just barely. A pale, ghostly face. A small frame, with dark hair hung down around it. The small chalky face grinned at him, and it's teeth were numerous, sharp, unnaturally plentiful in a mouth that grew far too wide. A deep rumble sounded from the figure as it drew closer to him, silent as though the creature had begun to float. With a sudden bestial roar, the wide mouth flung itself open, and so many needle-like teeth were thrust into the man's neck, crushing and crunching the flesh before a proper scream could tear out of him. His arms flailed forward, trying to hit his assailant. They slapped uselessly against large, long arms, brushing tiny bells that jingled in contrast to the sloshing sound of his own throat being swallowed by this carnivorous nightmare.

The man was consumed with terror in his last moments, and Jessie could feel the satisfaction rolling off of her _friend_ as it ate. She exited the truck and closed the door behind her after she witnessed the man's demise, trembling from the adrenaline rush of witnessing such brutality. Such palpable fear being met with merciless destruction. It made her body tingle from the top of her head to her toes. Jessie noticed that the bike she had used was still present on the ground a short way from the ice cream truck and she grabbed it, pedaling away to allow Pennywise to finish his meal in peace. Taking the route back toward where the girl had been taken, she sighed with relief to see the child in the arms of a middle aged woman who looked very distressed. Accepting that the girl would be fine without much further thought, Jessie rode forth into the town.

She spent the day wandering alone and pondered idly where Pennywise had gone when he finished with the pedophile, but felt that she would see him when she returned 'home'. The word jolted through her heart and mind with stunning potency - she hadn't considered any place to be home for years. As she wandered the streets of the town, she took in the sights, soaking in the energy of the people here. The library was a calming place and felt like a safe haven in the otherwise edgy town. Signs were posted around the doors, advertising a fair the town would hold the following day, which made her smile and brought forth twinges of pleasant memory. The library had an air of soothing comfort about it, while the streets lined with businesses felt like underbrush, hiding danger in every shadow. When she came back to the bar, the sun had just gone down, and the establishment was lit with multicolored lights, music with pounding rhythms blaring through the permanently opened doors. 

Desire for adventure hooked in her belly and pulled Jessie in, forcing her through the doors before she had time to consider the close proximity to so many strangers. The music was loud, but not irritating, and this caused her to walk to the bar. She ordered a rum and coke, startled that no one had even asked for her ID in this place. She took the drink without complaint, pushing the crumpled bills onto the counter, and turned around to watch the crowd. Many of the people swaying and gyrating around her were scantily clad, grinding erotically on the dance floor with an absent-mindedness that Jessie envied. Her drink was strong, and it made her choke and gag as she took it down, determined not to waste money by pouring it out or leaving it. As she placed the empty glass on the counter, the bartender handed her another with a nod toward a thick throng of people. "It's from the guy at the end." The words were shouted to her over the loud music, but her eyes couldn't focus on any one person in the area indicated, and she sniffed the drink, looking it over. Determined to become inebriated, Jessie sipped first, then gulped the drink down, sliding it back onto the bar. The warm, twirling sensation that began to waver her concept of reality was her first inclination to believe she had succeeded. Joining the crowd, Jessie closed her eyes and let the music take her over, swaying and gyrating in time with the others, letting her mind's grip on time loosen a bit. 

Jessie danced through several songs before she noticed the dark eyed, slender framed man whose eyes were locked onto her hips. He was close to her, dancing less obviously than she had been. His hands found their way to her hips, and color flushed into her cheeks at the touch, igniting a flame of excitement inside her. Her typical inhibitions were demolished under the influence of her drinks, and Jessie shamelessly swayed, allowing the touch of this stranger to remain on her body. He pressed himself tight against her from behind, and the tight form of his cock trapped in his leather pants rubbed against the swell of her ass, making her gasp and shiver. She felt his arms wrap around her, and started to feel trapped. His grip was getting tight and persistent, and she felt him leading her toward the open bar door. Exiting of her own will when they came close enough to feel the cool breeze, Jessie wobbled and fell to the pavement of the sidewalk as her ankle gave way beneath her. Alarm bells were sounding in her head, but she felt so tired and confused. Where was she? Who was this guy, again? 

The black clad man reached down and assisted her in getting to her feet. He pulled her along the sidewalk without explanation. She stumbled along, lead by his insistent stride. She could sense that he had a destination in mind, and this put a knot in her stomach. "Wh- what're you? Who're you taking me?" she asked drunkenly, trying weakly to halt their progress. Unfortunately, she succeeded only in nearly tripping herself as he pulled her along. His lack of response was more sobering than anything he could have said to her, and Jessie felt herself tense and flare, pushing out waves of alarm and hoping that her friend would notice. Several long moments passed as she stumbled along with this strange man who lead her down the main road a few blocks before turning in to a residential area. He never offered an explanation, but kept a firm grip on her arms as he pulled her along, his long legs working at a faster pace than hers. The waves of intent coming off of him felt sexual, but not only that. He felt dangerous to Jessie, and this made her tighten up in response. Fighting down the fear that threatened to flash through her, she stoked the feeling of anger that burned in her belly, mentally preparing herself to grab the knife from her pocket if he should let her arms free. Pressure rolled over her then, a flash of anger, jealousy, amusement... Her friend had come, and the sound of jingling and a gleeful sadistic giggle sent relief booming through her body, quieting her distress, making her feel strong. She halted their steps, and the man who had previously been so persistent paused, turning around slowly to observe the origin of the unexpected noise.

Pennywise stood on the sidewalk a few feet away, holding a bouquet of red balloon's in one hand, wriggling the fingers of his other. "Hello~. My dear pet, who is your new friend?" His tone was playful, but the feelings she picked up from him weren't entirely playful. He felt slighted somehow. 

"P-pennywise..." She said his name hesitantly, looking back to the now glowering man who gripped her arms more tightly. The pinching firmness of his grip caused her to wince and grunt in pain, earning an almost imperceptible growl from the clown who released all of the balloons at once and dropped his hands to his sides. His blue eyes flared orange and red, and his teeth multiplied and sharpened in his mouth. Anger radiated off of him, and Jessie whimpered softly, sorry to have put herself in such a stupid predicament.

"You didn't come '_home_', my pet. And now here is Pennywise to come and _fetch_ you, only to find you here with a new friend. And my what plans he has... **had** for you, little one." He rushes forward, faster than either of them could trace, standing suddenly before the man and towering over him. "**That's mine, boy**." His voice rumbled through his chest and throat and a large, gloved hand shot forward to grip the man's throat, the tips of his fingers bursting through the glove as dark claws. His grasp on Jessie disappeared as he struggled with both hands to free himself, kicking and writhing as Pennywise lifted him off his feet to dangle from his grip, claw tips dug into his neck.

Jessie backed away from them a few steps, rubbing her arms where the man had grabbed and held them behind her back. Her wrists were sore, and she could both see and feel the developing bruises under her skin. Turning her eyes back toward them, Jessie's eyes widened as she saw Pennywise's face change. The red lines adorning his cheeks split, opening his face into rows of countless serrated teeth that seemed to reach out to the purplish face of his prey, nearly unconscious yet delirious with fear as his eyes glazed and golden light illuminated his features. The terrifying maw opened wide and enveloped the man's head, slowly closing around it. Blood gushed and spilled over the gloved hand that held the man suspended while the unnatural jaws closed slowly around the skull of his victim. The crunch of his skull sounded so loud in Jessie's ears as she watched quietly, fascinated by the mutilation before her.

As his face resumed it's typical shape and he swallowed. His fiery orange eyes flashed over to Jessie and she shivered and felt heat grow in her face. "Thank you..." Her voice was thick as she sifted through what had just happened in her mind. She had gotten intoxicated in public, and that man would have been able to overpower her, she was sure. His grip had been so firm and he had felt so peculiar to her, she had little doubt that he was interested in spilling her blood as much as spilling his seed. Shame washed over her, and Pennywise wrinkled his nose at it. Then he vanished with his kill, leaving Jessie alone on the sidewalk on an unfamiliar street. Looking around her, she wondered how she was going to find her way back to the house without knowing the streets properly.

**Pop**! Pennywise appeared behind her just as she took her first uncertain steps and wrapped his long arms around her, pulling her back tight against him and covering her eyes. Before she could understand what happened, an intense pressure surrounded her and she felt the ground fade away from beneath her feet, only to have hard flooring press up against them immediately afterward. The feeling of being crushed from all sides faded as quickly as it came, and she felt herself released from his grasp. Jessie turned to face him, eyes meeting his golden ones, bloody red still ringing his irises. He felt so large before her, and agitation rolled off of him in waves that made her skin prickle.

"You were about to be someone else's prey, _little one_." he seethed, teeth still pointed and glistening behind his ruby lips. Her brown eyes turned down with shame and she stared hard at his chest, biting her bottom lip as she formed her thoughts carefully.

"I'm sorry... I'm not sure if I worried you or--" she started, before pausing at the deep growl emanating from him. She couldn't turn her eyes back to his and she wasn't sure what to say to him. She knew she had taken unnecessary risks, and that without him she could well have been brutalized and murdered, and this thought shook her, sobering her mind further. "It was stupid of me to go alone... I should have reached out to you sooner, it wasn't my intention to put myself in harm's way... I just wanted to relax..." Tears brimmed in her eyes as she spoke. She knew he was probing her mind, she could feel the oppressive energy invading her, seeking.

Long moments passed before he made a soft grunting noise and seemed satisfied at the time with her response. "You're home now, pet." He scooped her into his arms, which surprised her. She felt drained mentally and the emotions coursing through her came in spastic courses, shaking her deeply before withdrawing to leave her cold and numb. Shame, she knew, was the most intense. She had also felt angry at being targeted, which she also considered amusing afterward, considering her own actions. She felt grateful, warm, and comfortable with Pennywise, but there was more. Deeper feelings boiled within her below her consciousness and she felt the tightness and heat at being held in his arms. He carried her up the stairs, into the bedroom and over to the claw-foot tub, which was filled with lightly steaming water. As he placed her on her feet, Jessie stripped down eagerly, not paying attention to his gaze. His eyes burned golden as he examined her, tasted her in the air and found himself again desiring that sweet, alluring feeling she had covered beneath so many other layers within her. As she eased into the hot water, trembling a little as she laid herself back against the side of the tub, she looked back to him and smiled sweetly. 

"Thank you, this feels wonderful." she purred, the entirety of her body enveloped in luxurious warmth. She lowered herself entirely, letting the water close over the top of her head. She stayed below for a long moment, rubbing her face with her hands beneath the water hoping to invigorate herself a bit, and when she surfaced again, he had gone. A chair now stood beside the tub with a gray towel, and a bar of white soap sat gleaming at her just within reach on the edge of the chair. Jessie reached for the bar and washed herself slowly, fingers gliding over her body's contours, exploring. Her skin tingled at the feeling of her own touch, though tense discomfort knotted in her stomach and set a stop to her caresses. Standing, she pulled the plug on the bottom of the tub and grabbed the towel from the chair to dry herself as the water drained away. Wrapping the towel around herself, Jessie walked toward the bed and halted when she saw an unfamiliar face with all too familiar blue eyes laying on top of the bed.

"What...?" she stood for a moment, looking over the slender form It had adopted, laying with heels crossed and fingers laced behind his head with deep brown silky locks. He wore a black v-neck tee and jeans and a cocky grin adorned his soft lips, and Jessie snapped her eyes to the floor, cheeks burning with embarrassment. The feeling radiating off of her caused him to laugh and sit up on the bed, curling one leg back toward him as the other draped off the bed's side.

"Well, well, you _like_ this form." It wasn't a question, and the certainty with which his voice rang made Jessie turn around, facing away from him to hide her flustered expression. The heat in her stomach burned intensely and she wriggled her thighs together to quiet the ache of her sex. 

"Yes, yes. You're strikingly handsome, and I'm sure you've heard that before." she replied, shaking herself a little in an attempt to clear her head. The alcohol was nearly out of her system by this point, she felt, and she attempted to bolster her lucidity by keeping firmly in mind not only the clown form of Pennywise - the name itself was distracting - but the bear, the spider, the zombie, the strange mangled ghost-child. Anything to keep control of her urges. 

The tender feeling of lips on her bare shoulder, right beside the nape of her neck caught her attention with such intensity that she jumped slightly and gasped. Even in this form his presence was heavy, and she felt it envelope her, probing her body's responses to his touch. He felt her tingle with excitement, felt the tightening inside her, the yearning... He also felt the hesitation and probed deeper, seeking his obstacles. This girl had notions of social requirements pre-coitus, despite the gallery of memories she contained of no such ceremonious activity. These memories, however, did not contain the feeling he wanted to elicit from her. He considered this challenge, and stepped back from her. 

"I won't force you." His voice was startlingly gentle when he said this, and she turned to look at him, finding him sincere. His brow perked at her and he smirked. "Get some rest, tomorrow is going to be different." As he made to step out of the room, passing by her, she tugged at his wrist gently.

"You could stay..." Her face was burning as she said this, and couldn't help but hope he understood what she meant. He, of course, knew what she wanted. The notion that she wanted him with her struck him as strange. He didn't know if he could adjust to this sort of emotion, but found it to be pleasant. A genuine smile spread across his face and he lead her to the side of the bed. Pulling a black silk sleeping gown from the bottom drawer of the dresser and a pair of boxer briefs from the top, he handed them to Jessie, watching her as she pulled the clothing on over her naked form. He then crawled up onto the foot of the bed, laying on his side in his usual spot.

Jessie's heart felt full to bursting with affection and appreciation as she laid down, covering herself with the comforter, and leaning her head in against his shoulder. "Thank you." she murmured, leaning her head back and stretching her neck a little to place a soft kiss on his cheek.

Pennywise radiated contentment and rumbled deep in his chest and he wrapped an arm around her, holding her against him and soaked in her emotions, drawing from her until she slept. He looked down at her sleeping body and the images he had harvested from her mind came back to him. He lifted himself from the bed and sped through the house, down into the well in the basement and traversed the tunnels under Derry, resuming his preferred form. Tonight, it would hunt and explore and by the time his human woke, everything would be prepared.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter most recently revised 10/28/19.

Soft caresses over her hair and forehead woke Jessie the following morning. It laid next to her grinning, blue eyes shimmering in the handsome face that set her heart pounding. "Good morning Jessie." His use of her name sent shivers through her, and she smiled back before sitting up and scooting herself back to rest against the headboard. 

"Good morning yourself. Is this a fashion statement?" There was clear amusement in her voice as she pondered this slender human form he had adopted for the time being. "Just feel like being dashing?" He stood, tall as ever, next to the bed and gave a short little flourish of a bow.

"I thought this form would suit the needs of the day best. I, Robert Gray, would like to ask you to accompany me to the Derry Days fair today." He stretched his hand out to her with a smirk, eyes twinkling knowingly. The waves of confidence pouring off of him made her wriggle a little bit, and she felt heat flush her cheeks.

"Did you just ask me on-"

"A date, yes." His grin widened almost wickedly as he finished her inquiry with his answer.

"_And_ you have a name other than Pennywise?" Jessie giggled a little as she asked, picturing the two forms standing next to each other. She supposed that this form would suit the purpose of going to a fair just fine, though a mental image of the towering clown riding roller coasters and the like with a disgruntled expression was hilarious to imagine.

"Bob Gray, Robert Gray, otherwise known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown~. Now then, what do you say? Entertain me, I hunted last night so that today's focus could be on giving you the experience you crave... And that I can provide." A hint of lust in his tone set her blood to pumping briefly, and this immediate visceral response earned a chuckle from him. "You know you want to."

"Well, Robert... Rob?" He nodded his agreement to the nickname. "Then I accept your invitation." she replies, taking his offered hand. As he helped her stand next to the bed, she was pleased to note that she did not feel sick after the previous night. He gave a strange little giggle and clapped his hands, bouncing on the balls of his feet. She grinned at his reaction and gathered a new set of jeans and a black tee from the dresser, matching the clothes he wore. 

As they left the house Jessie allowed him to take her arm, surprised at the gentlemanly gesture. Walking arm in arm at a leisurely pace in the cool but sunny afternoon, they made their way into the town where streets were blocked off with orange barrels and yellow tape where throngs of people gathered and walked among tents and tables where hand made items and original art were being displayed. The crowd made her feel nervous, and she felt deep relief when Rob steered them down a parallel side street to avoid the close quarters. It was hard for her to remember what she was walking alongside, he kept himself very contained. She couldn't sense his mood, but he didn't seem erratic or angry. She chose to try not to dwell on the withdrawal as she wondered what he had planned. The quiet walk with him was so cozy she hadn't felt the need to engage in idle chatter, but when she became curious she felt nervous that perhaps he would think her rude for having been quiet. A soft laugh beside her startled her, and he gave her arm a gentle squeeze. "You think too much, little one. Just relax. First, we'll get you fed, and then we can visit the games. You want to ride the deathtraps, we can do that too." They arrived at the door of a cafe, and he pulled it open for her, gesturing for her to enter first. It was strange to her, being treated so courteously.

He picked their booth, and ordered for her when the waitress asked. She was impressed by this and very appreciative, reflecting on the perks of being on a 'date' with someone who could _actually_ read her mind. His sensual smirk made her heart feel as though it were melting, and she blushed under his gaze, enjoying the warm sensation of his focus.

"So, this is your first 'date.'" he teased, leaning forward.

"You know it." Jessie responded, looking down at the table. "Not like I wanted it to be that way. I had dreams of dates and courtship and things, it just never panned out."

His eyes locked onto her, studying her expressions and holding her in his gaze firmly. "Well, I don't intend to disappoint, so you should tuck your worries away. I'll take care of everything, and all you need to do is enjoy yourself." His grin spread just a little too wide at the end of his statement as her food was served. Jessie ate her breakfast quickly, anxious at being the only one to eat, though she certainly didn't want to imagine him eating anyone at the table. Her mental images made him laugh quietly and he shook his head at her. 

Rob took her first around the games. He paid for her to try tossing balls at bottles, darts at balloons, toss rings over pins, all only once each because at any failure Jessie immediately wanted to move on. It considered how stubborn the human was but kept opinions to itself for the sake of maintaining it's experiment. For hours the night prior, it had wandered under the city, set about eavesdropping from drains, probing dreams and nightmares to analyze human courtship. It knew it could follow a simple pattern of behavior to the end result of being rewarded with the thick, sweet aroma of her aroused surrender. Know what she wants, provide it to her, and make her feel safe. It knew the form it adopted was attractive to her from the jump in her pulse the night before. It took her to each game, let her try them all and backed away when her ego got bruised. When she particularly enjoyed looking at a certain stuffed panda, he took a turn off his own, knocking all of the pins down in one toss of a ball. When he handed it to her with a smirk on his face, she laughed sweetly and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek which baffled it, but set a warm feeling inside it.. As the day wore on, they rode miscellaneous fair rides. None of them impressed the shapeshifter physically, but it was enthralled with the emotional responses of Jessie, whose heart pounded on the rides with exhilaration. When at last they rode the ferris wheel, she sat next to him on the bench seat and laid her head on his shoulder. She took stock of her emotional well-being; she felt happy, content, and more than slightly attracted. While aware that this being was outside the realm of humanity, it's alien energies had been withdrawn over the course of the day. It had felt to her like a date with anyone else, had they a particularly strong presence and unquestionable confidence.

When her deep brown eyes met his soft blue ones she felt as if the world had stopped. His lips neared and brushed against hers sensually. His breath warmed her lips as she touched the back of his head, pulling him toward her for a deep kiss.

"Thank you for today... This was nice." she said softly as their lips parted. "You made this day the best I have had in years... And if you would like to, I would enjoy continuing our evening together back at home." Her eyes flashed a lusty look and he grinned widely at her.

"My pet, you seem so anxious to head back. Thinking naughty thoughts, are we?"

"I would like, Robert Gray, to have you accompany me to my bed this evening, so that we can... enjoy ourselves more freely."

"Oh, we shall my pet~." he whispered against her ear before giving a soft, sensual peck beneath her lobe. They both felt the desire bloom inside her. Their car on the ferris wheel was at the top of the ride, moving far too slowly for her liking. "Let's skip the walk~." She gasped as his hands turned her on the bench seat and pulled her into his lap. One hand covered her eyes and his other arm held her tight against him. Clutching the stuffed panda prize against herself, she felt the sudden intense pressure surround her, the seat faded away, and her legs dropped down to a floor- the polished wooden floor of her bedroom. 

The furnishings and dimensions appeared unchanged, however Jessie was pleasantly surprised by the glinting flames of small candles, arranged alongside the bed to either side. The dim lighting was accompanied by the scent of roses, though she saw none. Turning, she looked into the sparkling blue eyes of Robert Gray. He seemed almost unplugged from reality, and for the first time that day Jessie felt that he must be deep in thought, though what sorts of thoughts were masked from her.

It's own mind clouded its ability to decipher hers. It had wanted to carry her up to the bedroom in its arms, a custom it had found during its research. Humans carried their partners sometimes to increase intimacy. It could do that, she was light enough to lift with no effort at all. It felt her energy caressing its own, trying to open it, to feel it out and sense It's emotional state. It had carefully withheld itself all day- mysteriousness was attractive to humans and their prior openness had not fostered that. It had a new face, was different, could seduce her now. It did everything right...

Jessie grabbed his cheeks and pulled his head toward her, capturing his lips with a kiss. His eyes widened momentarily, before his hands groped her ass and the back of her head firmly, returning her kiss with determined passion.

"Come, sit on the bed for me. You don't need clothes." she said softly, pulling her lips from his reluctantly. Her eyes were heavily lidded, and her body was warm, pulsing with feverish desire. 

Robert Gray paused, looking at her with a small amount of surprise. This meek girl he had toted around the town was going to give him commands? If it made her more comfortable he would comply... for now. He stripped himself slowly, exposing the lean muscles of the form he chose, chuckling quietly when her eyes explored him hungrily. His cock was thick, swelling with arousal when he laid on the bed in the position she had imagined for him. Rob's eyes were locked onto her as she slowly removed her clothing, revealing each part of her intentionally this time, swaying and squeezing her breasts, turning her back toward him while bending low to remove her pants. His lazer-sharp focus made her flesh ache for his touch.

Jessie crawled onto the bed and straddled his hips, letting his cock rest between her sex and his torso. She kissed him deeply, and when his tongue pressed against her lips, she parted them and allowed it to glide against her own, suckling gently on the warm appendage. A low groan rumbled in his chest, and his blue eyes flared orange now, heavily lidded as he looked at her.

She met his gaze and smiled as she pulled away to nip lightly at his jaw, trailing sweet kisses down the side of his neck. His body tensed as his shaft became engorged and began to throb against her radiating mound. The small pulses of pressure against her made Jessie gasp and rock her hips, grinding her slit against the underside of his cock. As she continued her descent, trailing affectionate nips and kisses and licks, she crawled backward and halted when his member stood before her lips. Looking up into his eyes, she took him into her mouth. Only the tip entered at first, and she swirled her tongue around the swell of his sensitive head before drawing on it, slowly increasing pressure as she pressed further down. Rob's eyes closed as the feeling sent shock-waves through his form. It had never experienced this sensation and found it exhilarating and overwhelming. He felt the muscles of her throat working around him as she swallowed around his length, pulling him deeper until her lips pressed against the base of his cock. He trembled and rocked his hips, pressing deeper into the wet heat of her mouth. Jessie pulled back halfway up his shaft before plunging back down, feeling the stretch of her throat around him and the waves of yearning she felt to hear him moan, to know that he felt her. He pushed himself up with his arms into a seated position, and gently lifted her mouth from his cock to his lips, nibbling on her lower lip. She melted into his kiss with a heady little sigh, and allowed him to pull her forward and lay her on her back, lips still pressed against each other. When he broke away, his golden eyes seemed to glow at her, and she shivered at the feeling of his body pressed against hers.

"Lay back, little one." he whispered to her, a breathy command that prickled her flesh and drew a soft moan from her lips. Jessie obeyed, eyes locked on his as the slender figure lowered himself until his mouth hovered over the aching hot mound of her vulva. He drew his unnaturally long tongue from the bottom of her slit to the top, tasting her arousal in full effect. Her hips wriggled slightly in response, and he pressed her knees aside, spreading her wide before him. Her face flushed with color at the thought of him seeing her so closely until he leaned forward, pressing his tongue between her swollen lips to lap at the entrance of her pussy, slick juices coating his tongue with the taste of her. She felt his energies probing her, gliding over her body and enhancing the sensations with his unique heat and pressure. She cried out when his tongue roved over the engorged tip of her clit, and he chuckled at her response before pressing his lips around the stiffening bundle, suckling gently at it and teasing the exposed tip with his tongue. Pinned in position, Jessie tried to writhe, but found herself immobile. The realization that he had control of her body to that degree made her feel weak with surrender, and her body craved the feeling of him. He teased her a little while longer, sucking at her needy sex until the tension and heat in her belly became almost too much to bear.

"What do you want, my pet?" he asked in a husky voice, kneeling between her legs and caressing her stomach with the flat of his hand, holding her against the mattress.

"Please... Please fuck me.... Please be gentle...." Her whimper came rushed and heavy with panting. Her heavily lidded eyes were dazed with desire as she looked up at him, and her body ached so badly that she forgot who- what- she was begging to fuck her. He grinned darkly and leaned forward, laying over the top of her body. The tip of his cock pulsed against her slit. As he stayed there, poised at her entrance, Jessie leaned her head forward and kissed him, wrapping her arms around him to pull him close, urging him in. With a deep, satisfied rumble he obliged, pressing forward into her warmth and wetness. As he captured her bottom lip between his teeth, she moaned against his mouth, her body coursing with pleasure at the sensation of his cock slowly filling her aching void. She opened herself wide, legs apart as far as she could manage with her hips tilted to provide the best angle. When his hips met hers, he paused and gazed into her eyes, drawing off of the passion building inside her. The emotions he tasted were like honey, thick and sweet on his tongue, and his eyes rolled back a little as he began slowly thrusting, hooked into her sensations and experiencing her pleasure. Jessie held him tightly as he moved, the thrusting of his cock unfolding wave after wave of mind numbing ecstasy through her body. As his thrusts gained speed and force, she cried out, tilting her head back. He lowered his mouth to her exposed neck and sucked at the pulse he saw, drawing hard on the flesh with the intent to leave a mark on her as he bore down harder, fucking her deeply. His tip stretched her pussy with every thrust, and he focused on his shaft, lengthening and thickening it gradually inside her. 

"Oh gods.... Yes, fuck me please. Make me cum." she begged breathlessly, eyes watering from the overwhelming desire, passion and pleasure that enthralled every nerve in her body. With a cheeky smirk, Rob stopped his rhythm and removed himself from her. Lifting her and turning her over as though she weighed nothing at all, he pulled her to her hands and knees, and she could feel him change behind her. She did not turn her head, but lowered her breasts to the bed and put her face into the pillows as she wriggled her hips in invitation, cunt still glistening and aching with need.

Pennywise, having resumed his preferred form, towered over her from behind. No suit adorned him now. His hands and feet were a black, charred color with claws atop his digits. His hair was disheveled, and his blood red lips spread wide in a sharp-toothed grin as he leaned over her, pulling her head up by the chin, tilting it back to angle her to look into his golden eyes. The groin of this creature featured a blood red slit from which protruded a shaft slightly longer and thicker than he had previously been thrusting into her, pale length ending in a pointed red tip. As he pressed himself into her while he stared into her eyes, she felt ridges grinding against her stretched, slippery walls. Jessie pressed herself back against him in time with his thrusts, eyes captivated by his. He filled her over and over with his pulsating length as the pressure built within her, making her dizzy and causing her fingers and toes to tingle. Closing her eyes and allowing him to support her by her throat, Jessie cried out as she lost herself in the encompassing pleasure of her orgasm. 

The crashing waves of her release rippled through Pennywise, and the sweet, thick taste of her pleasure coaxed him, enhanced and defined the strange pressure building in his form. His shaft grew taut within her, and he pressed fully into her, the red rim of his slit pulsating against her vulva. Jessie felt bursts of thick, hot release coat her walls and pressed herself tightly against him, consumed by the feeling of being filled. He growled as his orgasm came and tensed, gripping Jessie's hips beneath him. The world went out of focus, equilibrium wavering temporarily. It held on to the human as its consciousness returned from the blinding light of release. The shaft of its form softened and retracted, sliding out of Jessie and into the slit. Pennywise released her from its grasp and lowered itself to lay beside her.

Looking curiously over the clown as it laid beside her, Jessie rolled to lay on her side, facing it. The relaxation she felt was utterly luxurious to her as she cuddled up against it's chest and stomach. There was no urge in her to speak, words felt pointless now that she could sense the other presence as usual. She felt the strange entity analyzing, not only probing her, but mulling over something else as well. Her curiosity was rewarded with a snippet of sensation, the surging, blinding feeling of release. The afterglow of her own release was still radiating within her warm and pleasant.

As she lay smiling against its chest, she felt the tug of it soaking in her sensations. The pull made her tired, and before long she was fast asleep. Pennywise huffed softly when her consciousness faded. The dreamless state the human entered left her bland, blank, not at all like the rich flavors she exuded while awake. Her flavors were new to it. It had no reason to engage in such fruitless endeavors- it would not breed with the human. The last of its kind, It was satisfied to consume, rest and repeat. It supposed that this was just another way to consume, and it was a pleasant distraction. The momentary nature of the act was unsettling for the eternal being. It pondered how long the human could last if it continued, taking her again and again until it was satisfied. It knew she would not withstand that, and discarded the thought quickly. It pondered having her wake soon to lure another meal- it was hungry in more ways than one now, a frustrating dilemma that was no less a welcome alteration to the monotony.

Pennywise slid out of the bed and made his way quickly to the well in the basement of the house and began to pound a reckless pace through the sewers. The layout of this grid was a bit different, seemed to have been completed in two coordinated bursts of construction instead of the layered mishmash of tunnels from multiple different attempts that had occurred in its previous dimension. It was intrigued by the order with which humans could conduct their business in the absence of the Eater of Worlds. The smell of a human caught its attention, and the clown paused, lifting its nose into the air and inhaling in short bursts, locating its prey. 

On the city street above, a disheveled woman walked with weaving steps down the sidewalk toward her home. She reeked of alcohol and burnt tobacco, stumbling slightly as she made her way alone. As It drew near, it tapped into her mind. The surface thoughts were delectably depraved. She was on the way to see her cheating boyfriend, or so she thought. Another woman had communicated with him publicly, and her drunk mind had made all the assumptions necessary to drive her to walking to his home, pistol tucked in her purse, to make them both pay.

The feeling of its eyes on her made the woman stop, looking around herself and swaying on her feet as she searched the darkness around her. Yellow orbs caught her attention low to the ground. As she approached, she noticed that they were glowing at her from inside the storm drain at the intersection ahead of her. A whisper in her mind told her that her boyfriend knew she was coming to take her revenge, that he was hiding down there. Too inebriated to comprehend the unlikeliness of that, she stumbled forward and got to her hands and knees, slurring angrily at the darkness.

"I know yer in there you summabitch.... C'mon outta there n bring yer whore with you! Tracey?! Tracey you slut, fuckin' sleeping with my man!" She fumbled in her purse for her pistol when she heard a dark little chuckle from the drain.

"Sarah, you forgot again. Bad girl..." Her father's voice issued from the void where the yellow gleaming eyes shimmered at her. "You been a very bad girl again. You know what happens to bad girls." 

The drunkards face went a ghostly pale at the voice she heard. Her father had been dead ten years now. He was an abusive fuck, nothing but trouble every second he had been home, when he wasn't out finding any pair of legs to get between that would take him. He would come home in a foul humor and beat her black and blue for the smallest reasons, sometimes no reason at all. Her body tensed, and she recoiled from the storm drain, sitting back on her knees on the pavement of the street. Cold fear gripped at her bowels, tugging harshly at her insides.

The eyes came forward, and a face became visible in the street lights glow. It was her father's face, but not as she remembered him. His flesh was glistening with a slimy film, tinged grey and green with rot. Maggots writhed in and dropped out of holes in his cheek flesh, and his eyes were a glazed milky color. He smiled a disgusting smile with half the teeth rotting, the other half gone. His tongue was a black color, swollen and oozing puss from a few splits along the top as he licked around his mouth, drool dripping down his decaying chin.

"Forgot to make daddy dinner again, didn't you Sarah honey?" The face of her father grinned impossibly widely at her, and her eyes bulged at the sight of his rotting form squeezing itself up and out of the storm drain, hands morphing into claws as he approached. Teeth were cutting through the blackened rotting gums in multiple rows of bone white daggers, and Sarah's brain froze. She had no idea what she was looking at and she was completely shut down with terror, pistol forgotten in the clutter of her purse.

As her breath hitched in her throat, preparing to let loose a shriek, a clawed hand shot forth and gripped her neck so tightly her face burned, and she felt herself dragged forward, eyes locked onto the sharp teeth of the ever growing mouth that snapped open, spittle flinging and touching her face. Searing pain erupted in the sides of her head where these teeth first penetrated her flesh, and with a wet crunch she knew no more.

Neighbors disrupted by the drunken antics of the unfortunate victim came to their doors just in time to see nothing but a puddle of blood on the street. No one heard the devious, entertained giggle of Pennywise tearing through the sewers to return 'home' with the purse of the newly devoured woman in hand. A gun would serve better protection for its pet than a knife, it thought as it returned to Neibolt Street.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was most recently revised 10/28/19.

Waking slowly, Jessie rolled and stretched in the warmth of the surrounding blankets. The events of the previous night unfolded in her memory as she returned to lucidity. Her cheeks flushed brightly with color when she looked over to see Pennywise lying beside her, looking pleased with himself. A grin spread across her lips and she sat up, still naked but unbothered by this. She felt comfortable, safe and warm, and the positivity radiated out of her and over the being next to her.

He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly, the corners of his mouth turning up wider. The smell of her was intoxicating this way. This, It thought, was how she should feel. It was comforting in a strange, alien sort of way. For eons it had felt nothing more than hunger, anger, and hatred. When it had been brought low by its own prey, the fear it had experienced was a clotting, stifling feeling. This experience had changed something inside It fundamentally. It had begun to feel whispers, little glimpses and half-sensations of emotion. The connection it had made with this human, in this new universe, had broadened the scope and fine-tuned the senses. After It’s initial disorientation, it found that emotional sensations within this human resonated into its form, pushing the experience through its body. Unexpectedly, the emotions she had projected into it were comforting, pleasant feelings. Fear had been a repulsive sensation, but the warmth radiating off of Jessie was intoxicatingly engulfing, and the sharp, tingling intensity of her pleasure had been electrifying, a rush of decadence. That, It thought, it would need to examine in further detail. She had power, It knew, like the Loser's Club had possessed. It did not, however, understand why the emotional link between them had established so strongly. It simply understood that as it had healed, the sensations absorbed became only more intense. It wanted to surround itself in Jessie's emotions, to feel the rush of her gratitude, of her lust, of her trust… It had never known the warmth of these feelings, and to experience them as humans had was perhaps confusing, but a flavorful change in the endless timelessness of eating, sleeping, eating and sleeping.

"Good morning." The words left her mouth in a sweet, soft tone, and as he attempted to collect himself from his thoughts, she leaned forward and kissed the red stripe of his cheek. His body trembled in response, jingling the bells of his costume and putting a grin on her face.

"Good morning, pet~. Did you rest well?"

Her cheeks burned again at the use of the word 'pet' and she could feel him emanating a magnetism that had heat pooling in her abdomen. The sudden intensity made her gasp, and she bit her lips together to avoid making any suggestive sounds. "Yes, this bed is amazing." _And so were you_, the thought finished in her mind before she could censor herself. He gave a soft chuckle at her embarrassment and leaned forward, inhaling her scent from the nape of her neck.

"Pennywise can be good, little one, when he wants to be." he whispered into her ear, enjoying the way she shivered. She was so easy to elicit a response from. So ripe with the blossoming sensations that exploded within her and sent shock-waves throughout his form. His long tongue snaked out and trailed up her neck from her collarbone and she opened her neck to him, whimpering breathlessly. "You're so delicious~." he purred into her ear, letting his lower lip graze the edge of her lobe. Jessie writhed and bucked, heat flushing through her at the contact. "And ol' Pennywise brought a present, just for you." He pulled away from her with a satisfied smirk and laid the pistol from last night's meal on her lap over top of the blanket. His eyes flared orange and red when the scent of fear washed over her quickly, before being muted by numbness that smothered the sensation like a candle flame.

"Oh… thank you…" Jessie replied quietly, hesitant to touch it. "I don't really have any experience with these. I don't know how useful it would be in my hands." She raised her eyes to meet his gaze and noted the red rings of his irises. "Hey, are you feeling okay?"

Pennywise shook his head suddenly, and when he looked at her once again, she saw that his eyes were a bright amber, but no longer ringed with bloody red. "You fear it." His voice was accusatory.

"Guns are dangerous…" she began, pausing afterward to laugh softly at the realization that she was telling a human-eating monster that a hunk of metal was 'dangerous.' This train of thought left her feeling more secure. "Alright, okay… I get it. I would rather stick with what I know for right now, and I'll practice with it until I feel comfortable enough to keep it on me. It can stay here, in case someone breaks in or… I don't know. You're better protection than a gun." she teased, smirking at him apologetically. "Thank you."

Pennywise huffed in response and turned away in mock offense. When she kissed his cheek once more, however, his lips turned upward into a grin as the warm bubbling sensation of her gratitude seeped through his form like a wave in the ocean. "So, little one, what do you want to do today?" As he asked this question, he trailed his gloved fingers beneath the blankets over her thigh. The soft fabric made her skin prickle with excitement and anticipation.

"Well… I should hit the streets and see what else this town has to offer. You going to come with me today?" Her hope for an affirmative response was palpable, and he inclined his head to her. "Then let's go!" With a wide smile, she dressed quickly in a black tank and jeans, and exited the house, holding fondly to the white ribbon of the smoothly gliding red balloon that accompanied her.  
Entering the town, Jessie paused upon hearing a loud, angry, booming shout. The energy radiating from the source of the noise was vile and angry, rippling through the air like toxic gas. When she approached, she saw two men with fists balled at their sides, hair blown back in the quick step of their gait as they move toward two other men cowering from the approach.

The taller of the two aggressors stood with his fists at his sides a few feet away from his targets, and shouted loudly "FAGGOTS!!! WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE HOLDING HANDS IN MY GOD DAMN TOWN?"

Anger raced through Jessie like wildfire and she ran forward, belting out "Hey, what THE FUCK!? Leave them alone dirtbag!" Her voice was surprisingly loud even in her own ears as she approached, barely noticing the balloon almost vibrating with a multitude of emotional wavelengths. It seemed to be dragging against her stride, but she pulled it forward with her anyway, gripping the string with furious focus.

The two frightened looking men farthest from her who were holding hands and shrinking back from the others looked at her frantically for a moment and she felt cold fear radiating off of them. The other two turned around to face her with fire in their eyes, scowling at the intrusion, and the taller of the two roared at her, "WHO THE FUCK ASKED YOU, GODDAMNED DYKE?!" He strode toward her with large, angry steps and his friend looked between her and their initial targets, then followed looking darkly amused.

"No one has to ask me shit, asshole. Who the fuck do you think you are, harassing people in public who are clearly doing absolutely nothing to you?" Jessie stood tall as they approached her and clenched her jaw as well as her fists when the loud one put a finger to her chest, jabbing at her.

"This is my town, and in my town, the men fuck the women and the women respect the men. These two fucking fairies are breaking the rules sweetheart, and in fact, so are you." Leaning in close, he glowered at her.

"They don't look like they're bothering anyone at all. YOU, in fact, are causing quite the scene." she hissed angrily at him, fists shaking as the fire of her rage boiled her blood in her veins. She couldn't feel in that moment, the rage emitting from the balloon- couldn't feel It responding to the situation with unusual ferocity.

"You're new here, aren't ya?" As he loomed above her, Jessie brought her knee up harshly into the tall man's groin. She felt the flesh give and recede into his torso on impact, and backed away in large steps as he fell to his knees. His friend's eyes were large as saucers as he watched the other hold himself and gasp before struggling back into control of his body. When she saw him begin to lurch forward, she turned and bolted as quickly as possible down an alley between the nearest two buildings, taking turn after turn while the sound of pursuing footsteps urged her forward. When she reached a brick wall with nowhere else to go, she turned and smirked, taking her knife from her pocket and flicking open the blade. The blotched red and angry face of her pursuer sent rage boiling through her again, and as he charged forward, grabbing her shoulder tightly and shoving her down onto one knee, she jabbed the knife forward, slicing a gash open on the inside of his thigh.

The man jumped back, stumbling slightly and tried to cover the wound with his hand as blood slowly seeped through the denim of his blue jeans, staining it crimson. "You're gonna regret that, bitch. You're going to do a lot more than bleed." he growled at her, voice low. His friend who followed closely behind stared wide-eyed at the spreading red, and she could feel the fear begin to bloom, at least in him. She laughed then with a deranged, off sound to her voice as though her mind were slipping over the edge as she felt It's hunger grow. She didn't know if she had released the balloon or if it had vanished from her as she ran and wove between buildings. She felt that it had waited before following her, but the pressure, hunger and anger came rushing through like a flood between the buildings, and as it approached she could hear a slowly growing hum. She could tell from the look of recognition in the eyes of the frightened one that he heard it also. Darkness gathered at the end of the alley behind them, and Jessie bounced on the balls of her feet, grinning as a roiling swarm of bees came rushing toward them, emanating Its predatory hunger.

The bleeding man turned, looking behind him though the hesitation to turn away from her was clear. When he saw the dark cloud approach, he jumped and backed toward her slightly while his friend began to sprint back toward the wall behind Jessie, slamming against it and scrambling with his hands, trying to find purchase somehow to climb the wall and escape the oncoming swarm. The wounded man was engulfed first.

Immediately as he was surrounded, the bees lit upon his skin and clothing, and his raw screeches of agony were proof enough that stingers were being dug into his flesh. As she watched, his flesh began to bloat, turning an angry red, little pores forming on the tops of bumps that raised rapidly, green and yellow pus oozing from the tip of each one. His scream was cut short, heightening into a squeal, and then a whistle, before no noise came from his open and gaping mouth. The skin of his face had become so swollen it was clear to her that he could not breathe. He fell to his knees, swollen and misshapen hands clawing for his throat.

As the first fell, the second man was also swallowed by the swarm, covered in tiny black and yellow bodies that pricked and stung every inch of his flesh, through his clothing and where he was exposed. He cried and screamed, thrashing wildly until the swollen stings immobilized him with an expression of agony. The bees retreated from both victims and bundled as Jessie watched in amazement, binding together in a whirl of orange light and shifting mass. Pennywise solidified before her, red ringed eyes boring into the terrified, choked man bleeding before her, and he descended immediately, mouth opening impossibly wide with so many rows of serrated shark-teeth. He bit into the man's face, and the wet crunch of him peeling away the skin and facial muscles made her stomach flip. He savagely tore and swallowed mouthful after greedy mouthful of flesh from his victim, tearing the wallet from the pants pocket and throwing it on the ground at Jessies feet, before moving on to his second meal. When the second wallet skidded to a stop at her toes, Jessie bent and scavenged the bills from both and tossed them into the pulpy mess of the first man's remains.

"I'll see you at home~!" she said quickly, wanting to remove herself from the incriminating scene in case anyone investigated the noises in the alley. She felt It reach out to her for an instant, before retracting itself, and she waved slightly when It looked up at her with its blood-lust sharpened eyes. Winding her way back to the main street, she looked around her, relieved to see that for all the commotion, it appeared as though the town had gone about its business yet again, like no one could be bothered either with helping the oppressed, or investigating the oppressors. Jessie walked briskly with a bounce in her step, basking in the glow of exhilaration and a sense of purpose.

"Hey!" A voice called out to her, and she turned around to see the two men who were being harassed before approaching her with a look of worry on their faces. " Hey, are you alright?" The one addressing her was slender and pale, well groomed. "Those guys are some bad business, I was worried about you when they took off after you."

"Oh! H-hey…" Jessie turned and blushed lightly, not having expected to be approached by anyone. "Yeah, they seemed like some real assholes… good thing for me they got their asses beat by a girl. I don't think you'll have to worry about them bothering you again." She smiled at them when they appeared relieved.

"I wish I could have seen the look on their faces." replies the other man, wearing glasses. "It's a relief at least someone else in this town apparently pays attention, though. It's nice to meet you, my name's Richie Tozier, and this shy thing over here is Eddie-spaghetti."

"Eddie Kaspbrak! Beep beep, Richie…" Eddie interjected while nudging Richie in the side with his elbow, causing Jessie to giggle.

"It's nice to meet you both. My name's Jessie." She held her hand out and received a handshake from both of them. "I'm really glad you're both alright. It is astonishing to me how rude some people can be."

"Well, don't be too astonished, this shithole is crawling with people like that. Hey! Listen, as thanks, how would you like to come with us and have some lunch. We were actually just on our way to the diner when assholes one and two decided to cut in. The more the merrier, right?" Richie held his hands open in invitation, and Jessie nodded with a grin.  
"Sure! It's a rare thing for me to meet other people who aren't completely fucked up, so you can count me in." She grinned brightly and fell into step with them as they led the way, sensing the trepidation of It. She did not understand the hesitant recoiling of its presence, but felt something was oddly familiar about these people whom she had just met. Something in a dream, she thought. She did not typically dream, and she sifted little by little through what she could recall, even as she sat and dined with her new friends. She felt comfortable around them, and she was mildly surprised to feel a strength of presence about them. They were comfortable to be with, and she enjoyed the way they spoke to each other, about each other, as they told her they had been born and raised in Derry, went to school together, fended off bullies together, and after long years of hidden feelings they had opened up and found each other to be the perfect match.

"That's so beautiful… I'm so happy for you two, that you were able to find someone to be with who accepts and loves you as you are. That's truly something special." she remarked, sitting relaxed against the back of the booth seat, finding the rise of anxiety at her core to be foreign to her. It was still gone, but in a different way than she had expected. It had felt so strange even after having consumed its meal, and was so quiet, so withdrawn, as it had been on their 'date.' Her light waved out in search of the familiar presence, fading the farther it got, even as it reached the domain of the Neibolt house, she felt only the familiar light of the circle surrounding her bed. No sense of It, at least not in the house. Suddenly, she felt a vicious surge of anger, betrayal… hurt. An image burned itself in the forefront of her mind, and she realized why these two had looked so very familiar. She HAD seen them before- in the vision It had showed her. Sure, there were minor differences, the glasses Richie wore were slightly different in the frame, Eddie did not appear to be injured as he was in the memory, but it was unmistakably them. Her stomach dropped, and she wondered what the implication was. Her heart started to pound, and she felt her face grow hot. She needed to find It, make sure It was okay.

"H-hey, I'm not feeling so good… I'm going to head out and go lay down, but it was really nice getting to meet you both." Jessie stood a little too quickly, and Richie and Eddie looked at her with concern.

"Oh… Did you need an aspirin? Antacids?" Eddie reached down to the fanny pack secured around his waist. "I'm well prepared for all sorts of ailments, I would love to give you something if it would help."

"N-no, but thank you. It's more an emotional thing anyways, don't worry about it, I'll be fine." She smiled and shook her head at him to decline.

"Well, I guess we'll be seeing you around. Don't be a stranger, alright? It's hard in this town, and losers like us have to stick together- safety in numbers, you know?" Richie stood as well and shook her hand once more.

"I'll see you! And thanks for lunch!" Jessie responded before heading swiftly out the door. She focused tendrils of her light to search for the familiar presence of It. There was a faint whisper of its presence and as she reached the Neibolt house, she found it empty. The strange pressure of its presence emanated from the basement of the house, and when she approached, she found that the stone well in the basement was the source. Rope laid in a heap near it, and she tied one end to a support beam tightly, then dropped the rest down into the darkness. Jessie tested the rope and found it to be sturdy enough to proceed with confidence, and took a deep breath, hoping that she wasn't simply on a wild goose chase. Lowering down, she came to an opening in the well wall, and crawled through it. The sewer lay beyond, and the stale smell of long forgotten waste forced her to breathe through her mouth to avoid the odor as best she could, wondering why It would be here, feeling nearly blindly for the familiar presence.

On she walked, keeping mental track of the directions she chose, always sensing forward seeking it out and feeling in response only the faintest whisper of its existence. Her stomach rolled and turned as she made her way in the darkness. She considered what it must think, her having so immediately bond with those who, in another place, had almost ended it. She supposed that she would feel betrayed if her one friend decided to buddy up with people who had attempted to kill her. She also understood that it would be impossible for her imagined scenario to align well enough with its own circumstance to be used as reasoning- she did not kill and each innumerable people, children especially. That part of her recollection made her steel against it for a moment, but she shook it off. Since It had arrived, it had only consumed adults, right? It had consumed what she presented it with, and this sick sense of judgement that she held over those she chose made her feel no better in fact than the beast who consumed the meat. In any case, she thought, she would not judge it for its past actions, as she would hope that any friend of hers would not judge her for her own.

She wandered for what felt to her like hours, the darkness surrounding her punctuated only briefly and infrequently by the sunlight glimmering down on the filthy water from storm drains and holes in manhole covers. The presence evaded her for a persistent amount of time, and she found herself descending into a deeper layer of tunnels, too nervous to call out in case It was not the only thing lurking in the dark. At last, with throbbing legs and weary steps, she came to the cistern, and noticed a strange pile. It looked like a nest to her, and she recognized that it was comprised of assorted items that one would expect perhaps to find in a dump. Instinct told her she had arrived, and as she stepped into the dimly lit space she called out, "Pennywise? Are you here? Are you okay?" Her voice echoed back to her own ears, strained to listen for a response. A low, angry growl was the response she received. "Please, listen… I didn't realize who they were, okay? I didn't know… I didn't think it would be possible for you to have history with anyone here, you literally are from out of this world."

The sharp pressure of It sifting through her mind, flipping through her memory was both quick and dizzying, and she fell to her knees as she reached the bottom of its nest. "_Losers have to stick together…_" it seethed at her, though she still could not see it anywhere. The sound of its voice wrought with fury and disgust made her heart sink. It felt like her chest was caving in, and the sadness forced a sharp exhalation from her that produced a whimper.

"I'm serious, I'm sorry. I didn't intend to cause any harm, I didn't even know who they were until you showed me. I've never met them before in my life, and they seemed like cool guys… I just wanted to be around people for once, you know? That doesn't happen for me." She gathered herself up to her feet once more and looked sadly at the pile of mattresses and bicycles, pillows and toys, a few bulky old radios. The pile itself was slightly taller than her, and she jumped when a blanket billowed out at her from the center. Red ringed eyes glared at her, illuminated from within against the darkness surrounding It. A twinge of blistering heat rippled through her, and she could feel its anger. "I want to understand why you're so upset… please just talk to me, show me, whatever you need to do." she pleaded, eyes welling with tears.

Slowly, the face of Pennywise drew forward, becoming visible in the low lighting. The red began to fade, but the burning orange that dominated its irises remained vivid and bright. Its mouth was set in a frown, and it appeared to be considering how to approach the interaction. It could not allow another Losers Club to form, in this universe. It had sensed them as well when Jessie chose her targets, and dismay had bloomed within it when she had not targeted those who had harmed it, granted that they had not been the physical manifestations that had assaulted it. It grappled with her sense of purpose in choosing their victims, and did not fully comprehend the moral justifications she laid out. After all, what right does a cow have to select other cows for slaughter? She hadn't even bothered to pay attention to its hesitation, hadn't stayed despite it reaching out to her. It enjoyed the sensations she typically radiated into it, but this foolish mortal had defended Its enemies. This thought brought about another growl as saliva dripped from its lips. The light of her energy prying at it for an answer, begging and pleading in waves and tugs coaxed an impression of this train of thought from it, and it shoved the sensations at her bitterly. It could not trust her, it thought, if she would bond with humans who would think it a monster to be destroyed.

Jessie's eyes shimmered with flecks of gold as the creature's thoughts nestled among her own, and when she had sifted through to identify what was her own mind and what was being provided to her, she stepped toward Pennywise and lifted her hand to his cheek. His head jerked and sharply pointed teeth bared from his blood red lips. He allowed her to touch him, and through the contact she fed him her apology. The sensation felt cooling and soothing to It. Where there was burning rage, raw and torn feelings of betrayal and abandonment, there was a sense of acceptance, of bitter-sweet sadness that was tainted with affection.

"I didn't mean to make you feel this way." Her words are barely more than a whisper. "I should have paid closer attention. I got too into my own anger. I don't think of you as a monster… any more so than myself, I suppose. It's okay, because we can be monsters together." His eyes slowly calm to a more quiet tone of amber, and his snarl retracted to a thin lipped expression of consideration. It wanted to be angry, it wanted to punish her for making it hurt… but the sadness that replaced the anger was suffocating, and it wanted nothing more than to experience something- anything- else. The red stripes of his cheeks bled off into tiny rivers moving up his face, and he closed his eyes and withdrew from her into the dark confines of his nest.

Jessie climbed upward, following him into the darkness. A soft groan met her ears, and the sound pained her heart to hear. "I'm not going anywhere, okay? You're my friend, you are important to me, and I don't want you to hurt." she murmured, moving into the enclosure lined with filthy blankets and pillows. The smell made her stomach feel sour, and as she took his cheeks in her hands and kissed his forehead, she swallowed hard. "When you're ready, we should go home." At her words, she felt his arms twine around her, squeezing her firmly but comfortably, and felt the soft rush of air over her neck as he inhaled her scent. His energies felt calmer now, and she smiled, sighing with relief as the crushing pressure of sadness waned. They stayed there for a few long moments, before Pennywise shifted out of the nest, holding her up in his arms. Jessie wrapped her arms around his neck to stabilize herself, and giggled excitedly when he began to move quickly through the tunnels, trailing back to the well. She didn't know which directions she took, but she was glad to have been brought back to the house. She felt dirty and smelled of the sewer water that stained her clothes. With surprise, she noted that he continued to carry her after they had emerged from the well- he took her up the stairs to the room he had furnished for her, and set her down beside the claw-foot tub, filled when they approached with steaming, lavender scented water.

Removing her clothes quickly, she stepped into the water, hissing as the sudden heat made her skin sting. When at last she had settled into the water, she looked up at Pennywise who was staring at her with his twinkling blue eyes now, though his expression appeared vacant. "Thank you." she said softly, reaching forward to touch his gloved hand. His eyes shot down to her touch and then locked onto her own, and he nodded. He then vanished with a soft pop, and Jessie rubbed at her body, washing away the smell of waste in the warmth of the tub. Her body relaxed as she soaked, and she felt revitalized from her weary wandering.

Standing from the water, she pulled the drain and smiled when she noted the dry towel sitting on the chair beside the fixture. She rubbed the water off of her body and walked naked to the bed. Heat flashed through her when she noticed the slender form of Robert Gray sitting on the side of the bed with eyes downcast. She approached him and lifted his chin. "Hey… why the long face?" she asked in a gentle tone, offering him a smile.

His blue eyes were pained still, and the contact sent shivers of his feelings through her. They felt strange to her, like a mimicry of true emotion, but she closed her eyes and focused, tugging at the sensation. He worried, she felt, that she would replace him. The company of other humans, it had assumed, would be more appealing to her because she herself was a human. It longed to delve into her, to engulf itself in her emotions and in her passions, and it was concerned that she would abandon it or…

She severed the connection before proceeding further into its thoughts, and she sat beside him on the bed, taking one of his hands into hers. "I'm not going to ditch you, even in the event that I make other friends." she promised, looking fixedly at his eyes. His face was handsome even in this state, and she leaned her head in, nuzzling his jawline and kissing softly at his neck. "You are the first being that I have connected with in years, and you feel more akin to me than most humans do. Don't think so hard, emotions aren't logical by nature." He relaxed then, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, and turned his face to hers.

"You have strange taste in company, pet." His voice coaxed her like warm velvet, and she felt the tug and tingle of arousal build in her abdomen. His hand trailed the tips of his fingers down her back, making her shiver and writhe beneath his touch. A cocky smirk formed on his lips at her response, and he captured her lips with his own, eyes burning a golden color as he looked into hers. Jessie's eyes glazed with desire as she returned his kiss. She parted her lips for his tongue to enter her mouth and suckled at it gently. He took her hand and guided it to his zipper, and she felt the familiar firmness of his shaft. Her energy pressed into him, reading him from the contact of their lips, and she felt a certain tenseness, and realized that this form took more effort to hold. Her stomach dropped slightly at the realization that he was experiencing discomfort for none other than the purpose of eliciting a response from her. He pulled back at her change, and looked concerned. "What is it?" he asked, confusion clouding his eyes.

"You don't need to take this form, if you'd prefer not to." she whispered, pecking his lips softly. "I find this body to be very attractive, and I appreciate that you'd make the effort for me, but… I would rather you feel comfortable."

With uncertainty in his golden gaze, he shifted next to her, into the form of Pennywise. Everything about him felt unsure and wary at that moment as he probed her, searching for her response. While a deep part of her was conflicted at seeing the make-up, the clearly inhuman claws and alien slit, she kissed the red lips so close to her own. With her hands, she guided one of his claws to the warm mound of her vulva, and turned her touch to the outer regions of the red slit, rubbing her index and middle fingers gently on either side of the flesh there. A gasp of desire burst from her when she felt the blackened claws of its own hand rubbing her in the same fashion, and she smiled against his mouth at the tremble he gave, and she knew that he had connected to her own sensations, beginning to experience them himself. The white flesh surrounding his slit swelled then and became warm with his arousal. She felt the familiarity of him using her body as a template, and she spread her thighs apart to allow him easier access when he slid a finger between her lips, claw teasing her as it slid over her hot, slick hole and dragged her juices up and over the swollen nub of her clit.

Pennywise gasped softly into her mouth as Jessie copied his own actions, and drew the pad of her middle finger over the slick hole between the lips of its newly swollen mound, and she bit his bottom lip gently as she rubbed small circles over the small, stiff nub at the apex of the slit. He growled against her mouth and bucked his hips, grinding the warm, pulsing red line against her hand. With a sudden flourish, he lifted Jessie by her hips as though she weighed nothing and turned her, laying her back against the mattress with her head lying back over the edge of the bed. One leg lifted to rest his knee on the bed beside her, the other held his weight, and he pressed his heated sex against her mouth. She complied eagerly, lapping at his sensitive bundle hungrily, and brought a hand forward to massage the slick hole of his entrance. A loud moan issued from Pennywise, and he trembled, body practically vibrating with need. His tongue lengthened and stretched, slithering to her own entrance where it entered her, filled her, and explored her aching pussy with furious curiosity. Jessie moaned into him and bucked against his tongue as the heated walls of her sex clenched against the bulk of his tongue filling her. Taking her cue from his own actions, she pressed two fingers into him slowly, feeling the oddly familiar sensation of his walls tightening around her digits. As he ground his pelvis against her mouth, walls clenching and coating her fingers with sweet juices that reminded her faintly of caramel corn and cotton candy to taste, she curled her fingers within him rhythmically, caressing the soft heat of the spot she knew could make her see stars. She flushed with pleasure to feel him tense at her motions, legs wobbling slightly at the intense, tingling heat that washed through his form in violent waves, blanking Its mind with every pulse, every caress.

With widening eyes, Jessie captured the growing, pulsing flesh of his clit as it throbbed and swelled. It grew until it filled her mouth, and she accepted and suckled at this flesh, bobbing her head slightly against him as she pressed a third finger into his burning heat, thrusting deeply into him in time with her mouth's attentions. A low rumble issued from Pennywise, who leaned forward breathlessly, trembling. A sharp burst of pleasure washed over his form, causing his body to vibrate in place as the slick walls of his sex gripped at Jessie, holding to her fingers with needy waves of release, clit pounding in her mouth as well as the vivid red flesh of his slit. Jessie moaned against her mouthful of flesh, tasting and feeling his release like a flush of electricity through her mouth. After a moment, when he had regained control of himself, he stepped back to allow himself space to lift her again, laying her head on the pillows this time as he crawled over her, straddling her waist.

"Good little one, very good~…" he purred as he gathered his focus, looking deeply into Jessie's eyes. The molten gold of his gaze felt like hot wax dripping over her body, the focus burning slightly and leaving tingles and goose-flesh where it trailed. Charred-looking claw tips slid through her hair, down the sides of her face and neck, over her soft breasts and down the ticklish sides of her stomach.

Jessie bucked beneath him and wriggles at his touch, nipples hardened almost painfully as she felt her aching insides clench around nothing, the absence of him igniting a fire in her belly. "Please…" she whimpered softly, looking up at him with glazed eyes. "Please fuck me…"

He chuckled softly as she felt something stir against her pelvis beneath him. Firm, warm flesh slippery with his sweet juices slid out from his slit, and when she broke from his gaze to look down, she saw that this time it appeared different. The colors were inverted from her last exposure, with a bloody red shaft and white tip, less pointed and defined than the previous member. The thick shaft throbbed against her abdomen, making her gasp softly. Her mound issued wave after wave of delicious heat, the molten core of her pleasure burning angrily within her demanding relief. Pennywise lifted himself onto his knees, allowing her room to bring her legs up from under him. When she had freed her appendages, his claws gripped her behind the knees, pressing her legs open wide. She whimpered and wriggled her hips, blushing brightly to see him examine her slick cunt, swollen and glistening with arousal. Holding her legs spread and raised, he pulled her toward him, guiding her entrance to the tip of his cock. He held her there for a long moment, smirking as she bucked and ground, trying to press onto his member desperate for the feel of him filling her clenching sex. With a slow push, he entered her, stretching her walls around his hot, slippery shaft. When he hilted himself within her, pelvis crushed against her thighs and ass, he released her legs to grab her arms by the wrists, holding them down at her sides and pulling them taut as her legs draped over his arms at the knee. He leaned forward and extended his tongue to her lips. She parted them and moaned softly when his tongue, coated in the taste of her own juices, entered her mouth and twined itself around hers. As she sucked at his tongue, he began his slow, rhythmic thrusting. His cock seemed to change within her, expanding to fill every bit of space her tight pussy had to offer. His slow pace picked up as the pressure built within her, making her feel light-headed with tingling and numb extremities. His tongue ravaged her mouth as he pounded into her, pressing against the tightness of her cervix with every push and sending rolling waves of delicious ecstasy through her, which bounded back and through his form.

When the pressure became too much, and Jessie feared she would lose consciousness to the mind-numbing shock of him fucking her as deeply as her body would allow, she unraveled. All sensations ceased in the midst of the breath-taking, earth shattering blankness of being pushed over the edge. Her body clenched around his length hungrily, and as the blank whiteness of her pleasure lashed through him, Pennywise shook and pressed himself tightly into her, cock swelling at the base to hold itself as deeply as possible within her. Heat flooded her, coating the insides of her cunt in his thick release. He stayed this way, with his hips docked against hers, claws gripping her wrists as he held himself up on shaking arms, panting with disheveled hair and fangs bared, bottom lip dripping clear droplets over Jessie's naked torso.

Jessie came back to her senses to the feeling of him still inside her, throbbing softly and infrequently. She wriggled in his grasp, and when he released her wrists to place his palms on the bed, she cupped his cheek with her hand and smiled, trying to recover control of her haggard breathing. Her arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him in, and he obliged by lowering himself onto her, laying over her soft, lavender scented skin, forehead against the pillow beside her ear. Putting her arms around him, she held him close and sighed contentedly.

As It regained focus, the softening shaft shrunk out of her, pulling back up and into Its form. It laid there still, basking in the warmth of her affections, the afterglow of her pleasure with a low rumbling purr vibrating through the both of them. Jessie giggled softly and turned her head to nuzzle the side of his cheek, and asked, "So, are you feeling a little better?"

Pennywise rolled to lay on his side next to her then and nodded. "Better, yes… yes…" He appeared to become lost in his thoughts, and Jessie rolled to face him on her side.

"Penny for your thoughts?" she asked, giggling at her own pun with a flush of embarrassment. The ridiculous joke did earn a small grin from the creature, and It allowed her light entry to its mind. It was calmer, and there was a sense of security in the way it felt. A smile spread across her lips and she scooted closer, pressing her body against its own. "I'm glad. I might go out and make 'friends,' but this place is where I feel at home, and it's because of you."

It curled an arm around her and released a slow, deep breath. The concept of having a desire to keep someone, a human, in Its life was new, strange, and frustrating. It was wary at the prospect of Jessie meeting the others, if such a thing could happen in this universe. It could feel others in Derry, others who had the gift. The curdling feeling of fear threatened to seep through its form, but Pennywise pushed it away and probed Jessie to wash over any naturally occurring emotions of its own. They lay that way together for hours, and It was surprised to find that Jessie continued to emanate pleasant feelings even after becoming unconscious- she had begun to dream.


	8. Chapter 8

Amidst the surrounding darkness with twinkling lights aglow all around, Jessie burned and emanated contentment and peacefulness. She could feel the intensity surrounding her, a heavy, thunderous presence that absorbed her vibrations and mirrored them back, encasing her in a cocoon of comfort. She dared not attempt to perceive it- this energy was raw and wild, dangerous. She could feel her own light trembling and wavering at its influence, but the exchange between them was so very pleasant that she welcomed the unraveling sensation.

Her light began to change, from a brilliant twinkling white to a golden yellow. Her vibrations grew more erratic, but not outside of her control. She felt more alive, more potent. The feeling flooded her with a sense of power she had never known prior. Jessie steeped in the waves of intensity of this light and absorbed a little at a time, noting a sense of surprise, of intrigue.

It had not expected her to be influenced in this way by its deadlights. Usually so devastating to any human to interact with them, Jessie whose energy was so erratic all on its own adapted little by little, taking on hints of Its own flavor. She did not appear to become overwhelmed or suffocated by these minor adaptations, but received them well.

'What a strange dream…' she thought, lucidity even in this higher plane flashing through her conscious mind. She heard little, high-pitched noises that drew her attention- not from the twinkling lights or the surrounding darkness, but beyond. Her eyes opened slowly as she called herself to alertness. She lay beside Pennywise, nestled warmly in his arms. A smile crept across her lips as she recognized the soft twittering of birds outside the windows. The tiny sounds put her in mind of earlier days, more innocent times in her life that had so long ago been snatched away by the indifferent and cold surrounding world. For the first time in longer than she cared to think, she felt the desire to go and walk in a park, to bask in the natural beauty of the world around her. Her thoughts were briefly interrupted by the pressure and whirling appearance change of Pennywise into Robert Gray.

"Would you care for some more talkative company today, my pet?" he offered, stroking one of her cheeks with his thumb. Her blush and smile rewarded this act, and he leaned forward to press his soft lips to her forehead in a gesture that made her heart flutter and dance beneath her breast. The feeling was a ticklish, bubbling sensation that washed through his form like carbonation and he found it strange, but oddly refreshing.

"As long as it doesn't bother you." she replied, looking into his sky blue eyes, earnestly desiring to glean from them his level of comfort, being out and about with her in plain view. He chuckled softly and shook his head at her concerns.

"Any form I take is still me in the end, little one. Pennywise, Robert Gray, anyone or anything I become is just a tool to navigate this world."

"Alright… Maybe we can even make you a friend." She giggled at the thought of taking him out to gatherings and events, helping him explore social settings without the added intention of devouring anyone he crosses paths with.

"I suppose anything can be possible. After all, here you are. Sleeping with a beast and waking up the next morning, day after day."

Kissing his cheek softly, Jessie removed herself from bed and dressed for the day in her standard black shirt and jeans, blushing to see Rob standing by the door of the bedroom once more donned in matching attire. He gestured for her to lead the way, and she did so with a wide grin and a bounce in her step. As they walked hand in hand out the door of the decaying house on Neibolt St, she looked around her at the clear blue sky with no clouds in sight. It was a beautiful day, and she felt light and happy.

Rob lead her along the streets in a leisurely manner, watching her face with curiosity as she looked around as though with new eyes. Something did seem different about her this day, and he knew it had to do with her 'dream.' It had been present, watching, absorbing and in turn, to its surprise, being absorbed. Her light looked different to him, even in her waking state, and her presence was more pronounced. He wondered at the implications of this change, and it put ideas into Its mind, ones which both concerned and excited it.

As they strolled through the park, admiring the soft songs of the birds twittering in the trees, Jessie paused when she felt an uncomfortable pressure. Looking around, she saw a group of three men standing at the edge of the park, looking very intently at one man, sitting alone on a bench with a book and binoculars. The energy radiating from the group was hostile and dark, while the lone man simply felt tinged with sadness and longing. Jessie started to walk toward the lone stranger, hoping to interfere with the attentions of the other men, when Rob put a hand out and grabbed her wrist.

"That is another one." he stated grimly, staring at the curly haired man seated on the bench. "He was not at the final battle, you wouldn't recall having seen him. I know his presence, though."

Jessie glanced at him in surprise, then turned back and examined the figure sitting alone and reached toward him with her light. She felt the slight push back of his energy and nodded her head. "Well, he's definitely got some juice in him. He doesn't seem to be causing any harm though, and I do not like the feel of those guys." She nodded her head to indicate the group standing at the edge of the park, and his eyes, glowing golden, followed her gaze to them.

"… What are you going to do?" he asked though the tone did not imply that he truly questioned it. He tensed, and waited for her response. His energy receded from her and she looked into his eyes with worry.

"Listen… I know that this probably makes you uncomfortable… But this guy doesn't know who you are- you haven't been here before, right?" He shook his head in response to her inquiry. "Then he has no reason to want to cause you any harm. He doesn't feel like an asshole, but those guys do and frankly I just want to figure out what is going on here. I understand if you do not want to approach him, I'll do it alone if you'd prefer. But… I just feel the need to at least try to help. I can't let something bad happen to someone who isn't doing anything wrong when I have seen dirt bags like them targeting him." She wrapped her arms around him firmly and held him tight. "Please… don't be offended. I promise if anything were to happen, if anyone were to try to harm you, I would do everything in my power to stop it. I'm not going to betray you."

He gazed into her eyes with burning intensity, and she could feel his response to her burning through her mind like wildfire. 'Make it worth my while, then.' A small smirk formed on his lips at the recognition that bloomed in her eyes and she blushed.  
"W-what did you have in mind…?" she asked with a small, quiet voice.

"You'll see… when this is done. You, however, will be orchestrating this onslaught." He caressed the side of her neck with his fingertips and kissed her hungrily, setting a blaze of need in her stomach. "You won't be alone."

With that, he vanished from in front of her, but she could still feel the warmth and pressure of Its presence. Quickly, she turned toward the lone man and approached him with a small smile, trying to emanate as much welcoming and calming energy as she could muster to push outward around herself. As she came within feet of the bench, he looked over and gave a nervous smile. She could sense his hesitation, feel him assessing whether she would be friend or foe.

"Hi there! It's a beautiful day today, do you mind if I sit with you?" she asked, pausing at the edge of the bench.

"Yeah, that'd be fine…" he replied, nodding to her. She could see as she sat on the other side of the bench that the book he held was a book for bird watchers.

"Catch anything rare in this park?" she asked, gesturing toward the book.

"Not particularly, there are mostly finches around right now. I have seen a couple of cardinals today, but nothing exotic. You a bird watcher as well?"

"No, not really. Today is just a gorgeous day and I wanted to get out of the house and just soak it in, you know? Catch some peaceful vibes for once instead of grinding in the rat race of life." She gave a soft chuckle as she said this, and a small smile formed on the timid man's lips. "It's nice to meet you, by the way. My name's Jessie." She offers her hand to him.

He looked down at her hand and after a moment, he shook it. "Nice to meet you too, Jessie. I'm Stan. I don't recall having seen your face before, are you new in Derry?"

"Yeah, I just got here a few days ago. Just kind of wandering at the moment, trying to find a place to fit in." She shrugged her shoulders and gave him a sorry little grin. "I take it you're not new in Derry, then?"

"Born and raised, sadly." he commented, glancing behind him. So he had noticed the other men, she thought.

"I see… those guys giving you problems?" she asked, following his gaze.

"Yeah… unfortunately, being the Jewish kid in school gave me my own sad sort of notoriety… this town just happens to be home to some real unsavory types." His eyes were filled with such deep sadness that it made Jessie's heart ache to see. His energy shifted upon looking at the three men, increasing in intensity as anxious vibrations shot through her from him.

"I'm so sorry…" she replied, placing a hand on his knee for a moment. He looked into her eyes and disengaged momentarily from his emotional escalation. "People are genuine trash sometimes, and I'm sorry that you've been harassed by assholes like them."

"I-It's alright… I've dealt with it my entire life, and their dimness isn't my responsibility." He didn't really seem to be comforted by his own reasoning. Instead, it sounded like a repetitive mantra aimed at distracting him from his feelings, which still bubbled under the surface, perceivable though not visible in his features.

"You're very mature about it, but that doesn't make it okay." Jessie's eyes flicked between him and the men who moved slightly closer, having noticed their glances. The menacing feeling flowing out of them increased in intensity, and she could tell that Stan noticed it too. He became jittery, bouncing his legs. "If you would like, I can walk with you. I don't think assholes like that are brave enough to act out in the open with witnesses."

He glanced back to her and nodded with a nervous but also appreciative smile. "Yeah, I'd like that… thank you." He stood and gathered his possessions, and Jessie stood as well, looking as calm and unassuming as possible while watching the group from her peripheral vision. She could still feel It watching them, could feel how withdrawn it was while the interaction took place. The slowly building anger in her veins excited it, however, and she could feel a tinge of hunger in its presence.

Stan lead her along walking side by side, and Jessie was keenly aware not only of It, but the three men who followed at a distance, watching them with eyes that burned the back of her like candle flames to her skin. She looked over to Stan who appeared to feel this as well, his brow was furrowed and his hands trembled slightly. Jessie reached a hand up and patted his shoulder, despite him being taller than her by half a foot or so. "So what do you do for fun around here?" she asked in an attempt to brighten the mood by inspiring thoughts and conversation of pleasant topics.

"There isn't much I do, honestly. I enjoy puzzles, bird watching, going to the movies, same stuff everyone else likes… I'm just usually doing things by myself."

"Not easy to make friends in Derry, then?"

"Not so much. I can make friends, I suppose… it's just difficult talking to strangers, as weird as that may sound considering I just met you." He chuckled quietly and it made Jessie's heart swell to hear it.

"Well I think that you're doing perfectly well talking to this stranger. If you would like to show me around some time and introduce me to recreational Derry, I would go with you."

Stan's smile widened, and she could feel a flicker of hope shoot through him. "I'd like that a lot, actually. We could exchange numbers, or…?"

Jessie paused mid-step, blushing and looking downward. "I um… I don't actually have a phone… or any electronic devices…" She resumed her stride when he halted to wait for her. In response to the sinking feeling she felt waving off of him, she continued, "I just haven't really had any place to be, you know? Hard to keep up with communications when you're on the move all the time. Maybe I can see about getting something together. We could agree to meet up some other time though!"

This suggestion relieved him, and he nodded in understanding. "I get that… Sure, we could meet tomorrow after 7 pm in the park again, if you'd like." She can hear the hope in his voice, and she grinned.

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan to me. I don't have anywhere else to be, so why not."

Stan turned as they approached a two story home, painted white and well kept. It appeared very clean with a manicured lawn, and she could sense that this cleanliness and order were a part of him as well. "I'll try to come up with something fun to do. Consider it my treat, a welcome to Derry." He turned to her and held out his hand.

She shook with him and nodded. "I'm looking forward to it. And I'm glad you made it home safe. I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"See you tomorrow." he agreed, then turned and entered his house. Jessie waited to look back at the men who had followed them until she had proceeded to the next street corner and turned. Hiding behind a row of hedges, she watched as the men slowly approached Stan's house and one took a picture with his phone. Wicked grins broke out across their faces and they spoke to each other discreetly for a moment before turning and proceeding with a quick step back the way they came. Now, she thought, it was her turn to stalk them. She felt disappointment with herself that she had no means of disguising herself, but when she felt a strange rush of air over her arms, she looked down to notice a long black coat over her, and a hood brushing up over her head. Rob stood beside her with a perked brow and a cocky grin.

"Well well, avid little huntress, aren't we?" he asked as he nodded in the direction of their prey. "Let's go, I'm interested to see what you do." His eyes glint with some hidden knowledge, and he gave no sign of enlightening her as she gave him a questioning glance. Giving up in the hope of not losing her targets, she walked briskly in the direction the men were going, following at a bit of a distance with him walking beside her looking amused.

"So I take it this is going to be worse than I first thought?" she asked, hoping for some sort of hint as to why he seemed so excited for this.

"Mmmm~ I wouldn't say worse. In fact, depending on how well you do maybe we'll have enough for left-overs." He chuckled darkly and her skin prickled with excited goose-flesh. They tailed the men for approximately 20 minutes, keeping enough distance not to be obvious about following. No one truly seemed to notice them anyway, for which Jessie was grateful. She could feel the satisfied air around Rob as they walked, and she put her arm through his as they made their way, pondering what they would find at the end of their search.

"They're here." He stated this simply, although Jessie nearly missed the building altogether. The men had turned before them at such a brisk pace that she wasn't sure where they went for a moment. Closing her eyes, she pushed her light forward, feeling out the surrounding area and was not truly surprised to feel a clustered, festering knot of hatred, excitement, and a thirst for blood. Her stomach sank a little at the thought that these feelings were likely aimed at Stan, who had struck her as pleasant and quiet.

The building he had indicated was made of brick, old and dark and cracked with age. The few windows, placed high on the walls, were boarded over with plywood. The faint sound of voices was audible to Jessie, though she could make out none of what was being said from their place on the sidewalk. A brief appraisal of their surroundings suggested that there were no cameras, and no one was standing nearby. Jessie hoped this meant no interference would take place, and she walked closer along the outer walls of the edifice in search of a door, a vent, anything to let her hear--

"… We'll set out at 1 am. The fuck won't know what hit him." She heard a voice speaking loudly as she approached one of the windows. The glass was broken, and the board did not cover the entirety of the window. There was a door a few feet farther down the wall, but she paused there and listened as their plan was discussed with vicious intensity. They wanted to go to his home, surround it and capture him, burn his house and bring him back here… By the time they reached deliberation on what to do to torture him, Jessie was so deeply infuriated that she could hardly focus on their words anymore. Her vision was fading to white before she heard Pennywise beside her, giggling maniacally.

"What do you want to show them, mmm?" he asked in a soft, menacing whisper, his smile widening and sharpening. "What do you think these men would fear most?"

Jessie looked into his golden eyes and focused, providing him the mental image of what she felt these men deserved, and as the scenes flashed through his mind, his grin widened sadistically and his eyes grew bright, red seeping in from the outer edges of his irises.

Inside, sudden darkness and silence engulfed the group of fifteen men. They all paused, eyes roving in the blackness, but were unable to see anything- unable to hear even their own breathing. Panic and alarm were the first sensations that waved off of them as Jessie walked in the door. To her eyes, the group itself was surrounded by a dark fog, and the building was silent but for her footsteps. _This time somehow_, she thought,_ it feels different_. She felt in the back of her mind an image, somewhat like a daydream. The imagery was of those same men, in what must have been an illusion. She could see them, hear their expletives of confusion, their questions. She wrinkled her nose slightly as a thick, sweet taste, almost revolting to her at first formed in the back of her mouth. She scanned the room quickly, and took note of a few cans of gasoline. Grabbing three of them, she placed them around the men, standing in their cluster seemingly unable to escape the darkness. She could hear ghostly screams in the back of her mind. They were seeing flashes of illusion that It had created, that Jessie has designed. She felt the tainted glow of her light as she exerted herself to hold on to that tiny fantasy at the back of her mind.

Jessie willed them to see themselves suddenly encased in a tiny room, metal with large vents in the walls. They asked questions first but the impossibility of it, the idea that they had been teleported to some other location drove them to screaming. When they ran, they ran into the walls of It. When they screamed and cried, it was into Its miasma, Its tomb of silence. They saw nothing again when the lights they perceived blacked out, robbing them of their senses once more. When the light returned after a few moments, the walls had aged. The metal walls were replaced with decaying bricks, stained with age and tragedy. There were charred human remains on the ground in this room, that stirred and began to stand. The men screamed, cowered, and clustered together, away from the blackened bones and bits of flesh that approached them.

Slashing holes in the sides of the gas cans, she left them around the men, seeping gasoline into a large puddle that surrounded them. Jessie paused, considering that she hadn't brought a lighter or matches. A tingling sensation pricked all over her hand, and it shoved itself into her pocket and withdrew holding a book of matches. On the cover was a little illustration of 'PENNYWISE THE DANCING CLOWN,' holding a bunch of red balloons and sporting a cartoony smile with his name in capital letters as though scrawled across a banner. Striking one, she tossed it into the gasoline as she pushed forth the image of the approaching ghouls into the fantasy they experienced. Fire seemed to spring up from nowhere to them, they caught aflame quickly in the large burning puddle, unable to escape the walls of Its illusion. Jessie left the building quickly and closed the door behind her, walking rapidly into the woods with her heart racing. Her body felt hot, as though she had developed a severe fever.

She walked with ragged breaths into the forested area before her, holding onto the image in her mind, watching as the flames took their legs. Then she relinquished it, the energy required to maintain that feeling of dreaming behind sight. She simply watched then, and took a seat against a thick tree. She closed her eyes and focused on breathing, on how badly her body ached, tingling and burning as though from the inside. It hurt, but watching gave her a satisfaction that she did not wish to surrender. She watched as a bright glow illuminated their faces. Their bodies went limp and they hung as though on strings in the air, mouths dropping slack as the sweet taste in her throat sharpened and built to a crescendo of intensity. She swallowed multiple times, grabbing at her neck and whimpered slightly at the sensation. It was very sharp and intense to her, and her mouth and throat felt uncomfortable and achy. At the same time, she felt such deep satisfaction- feeling their fear, knowing what they experienced- was soothing to the burning, aching feeling.

Jessie caught her breath against the tree as Pennywise exposed the deadlights to their prey, and vanished with them into the cistern, where he released all but two of them and then appeared before Jessie, examining her with his bright golden eyes, grinning with saliva dripping from his lip. Without words, he grabbed her up from the ground and held her head against his chest and she closed her eyes tightly, now getting used to the crushing sensation of him transporting them to the cistern where two men hung in the air close to the ground, thirteen others floating much higher up. Jessie felt a certain wave of relief that these were the only bodies here. Pennywise carried her to where the two men hung and set her on shaking legs before them.

He took no time to choose the one he wanted, and he plucked the man from the air like a ripe fruit and turned to her. "Feed," he stated simply.

As he appeared to be waiting for a response, Jessie blinked confusedly at him a few times, before pausing to consider what that could mean. _I don't need to eat human flesh, surely_, she thought. The beginning of the burning ache again made her whimper softly, closing her eyes and trembling from head to toe as the feeling of stabbing needles all over her skin began as a slight itch and grew slowly to become painful. While she was too preoccupied to notice his movements, Pennywise took her unaware when he grabbed her hand, making her yelp with pain and struggle a little against him. His strength easily overpowered her attempt, and he pressed her hand against the man's chest, over the slightly charred and torn fabric. This one's body was burned to the hips, blackened and reeking of burnt meat. The torso was covered in a now tattered shirt that had gouges ripped into it that had cleaved his skin open. The remaining fabric was dyed with his blood. He had a heavy set brow she noticed, and his hair was short clipped, no facial hair save for eyebrows. He had a blank expression with eyes milky and clouded. There was no hint of his eye color, she noticed with intrigue. Looking into his eyes felt good… very good. By impulse, she grabbed the man's head and pulled it closer to her own, staring with painful need into his eyes. The milky light pooling in his eyes as though smoke over water lifted into the air between them. It looked to Jessie as though swirling steam was leaving the surface of his eye and floating into the surface of hers. The pain stopped immediately, her body felt absolutely euphoric with relief from what had grown from an itch into a stabbing sensation as though rusted nails were piercing her skin.

Jessie did not perceive Pennywise as he watched with intrigue while she examined the man after being forced to touch him. It did not know how she would feed, only that she was in need and calling out for help with pulses of agonized hunger. Hunger, at least, as It experienced it. She was not the same as It, so how she could fulfill this need was an unknown process to It, but as she gripped the man's head and stole the fear from his eyes, Pennywise felt genuinely impressed. _THAT_ was new.

It returned to its own chosen meal and elongated fangs grew from its mouth, its eyes rolled back and upward as its mouth opened impossibly wide, and it bit into the man's chest, ripping away muscle, chewing and swallowing it with voracity. It tore and ripped at the body's meat, savoring the flavor of the cold, haunting fear of the man trapped in the deadlights. It had finished its feasting in a little over a minute, hurrying the process to watch Jessie's progress and observe the effects of this strange new development.

After two minutes, Jessie released the man and shook slightly, collapsing back onto her butt in the sewer water, groaning and wincing. She felt better than when she had been 'hungry'- the word occurred to her as soon as she had the thought to question what to call it- but she still felt weak. Her body felt as though she had spent a day at the gym lifting and making rounds. Every muscle felt a dull ache that was perhaps minor, but no less annoying. She looked up at Pennywise when he approached and offered her his hand. He helped her stand from the ground and looked her up and down. She felt the probing of his energies and laughed softly. "I take it you have no idea what the fuck just happened to me either?" The question felt like a statement and when he returned her gaze, she could feel the affirmative response. "So… are they dead, or…?" She lifted a hand to point at the floating ones overhead. The one she had fed from hung where he had been, light still dancing in his eyes. Pennywise giggled and jingled as he shook and made a shooing gesture at the man with his fingers. The body lifted up into the air with the others.

"Fuel efficient, are we?" he asked with a delighted giggle. "Not quite yet, no. But there's no escape from it for them now. The deadlights cannot be fought, cannot be escaped." He paused, reminded of Beverly as a scowl formed upon his lips.

"The girl?" Jessie asked, having seen the image though It hadn't intended specifically to share it. She had not dug for the thought either, it simply flowed naturally between them, confusing them both. It thought to her of the experiences it had with Beverly, and she nodded. "Gotcha, so there is a 'cure' and all, but none of these sorry fucks deserve it." She grinned at him, and looked up. "Thank you… I don't know what the fuck just happened today, but thank you… I'm glad that Stan will be okay, he seemed like a kind person. I think perhaps even you would like him if you gave it a try." She looked into his eyes, hoping for the best in terms of a response to that suggestions.

It paused after she spoke. Their dialogue felt more complete now, as she spoke her emotions fed through her thoughts into him as her words entered the air. It knew her perspective, and while before it would have been outraged and appalled at such a thought, it did not feel so repugnant in this context. It felt no desire to befriend the human, but Jessie's emotional investment in seeing it experience different things felt enthralling. It resolved to think on the matter- privately- and she nodded in understanding, then smiled and wrapped her arms around It. Pennywise returned the embrace, and she felt the crushing pressure of it bringing her upstairs to the bath. When they materialized in the room, however, she noticed that the bath appeared larger, and that the both of them were no longer clothed. Picking her up into his arms, the clown stepped into the tub, blackened claws sinking beneath the sweetly scented water. Seating himself, he lowered Jessie in slowly, allowing her skin to get used to the heat of the water, and held her in his lap.

"This feels fabulous," she said softly, stretching and allowing the heat to soothe her aching muscles. She felt the strange smooth but sharp sensation of his clawed hands rubbing at her skin, kneading the muscles gently. His movements were careful, so careful in fact that she wondered if he shouldn't just stop and relax with her. The massage felt so wonderful, however, that any word of protest died on her tongue without being uttered, and the claws moved slowly and luxuriously to all of her sorest spots, rubbing and smoothing and gripping, feeling out the sensations as she felt them. She moaned and sighed with relief as he returned his hands to her stomach holding her back against his long torso. Curiously, she rubbed her fingers against its own skin, wondering if she could massage It in return.

"_Mmm_ Pennywise doesn't need such things. But there are other ways, if you'd like to make me feel '_good_' my pet." he whispered against her ear, claws groping her stomach to test her response. Jessie pressed herself back against him and whimpered, grinding herself against him, wondering with a sense of excitement and anticipation what he had in mind. The feeling of his claw over her eyes made her blood rush in her ears. To the bed this time, he took them and she lay atop the soft mattress with him laying astride her. She watched his golden eyes as his body shifted from Pennywise to Robert Gray, and he smirked at her blush. She felt badly at the intense rush of desire she felt, seeing that face, and she looked to the side at the wall with embarrassment in her eyes. A gentle hand took her chin and turned her face back toward his. "I look like this because I _want_ you to feel exactly the way you feel when you look at this. I have not changed much, little one." His lips curl upward into a wider grin. "Just as you wish to give me what I desire, I wish to provide the same." His lips closed against hers passionately, and her body tingled with exhilaration.

"Well, thank you." she said softly when he broke away to kiss her jawline and her neck. Her body responded with waves of burning heat, and she gasped and whimpered as she felt his hand wander lower, caressing the hot swell of her sex on either side. He chuckled, and she felt the question come from his mind and lips almost in sync.

"What have you enjoyed the most?" She had no need to answer the question, as he probed through their experiences and selected the one that had the most passion behind it. His lips spread into a wide grin, and he licked a stripe up her neck as one finger slid into her, swirling to caress and explore her inside. She felt the concentration, the use of observation to create, and then he swung himself upward, placing his knees to either side of her head. Above her, she saw that he had once again mimicked her own mound, and her cheeks burned with color as he lowered himself over her mouth, gasping and giving a quiet moan when her tongue glided from the top of his slit to the bottom, grazing the already swollen nub first, and ending with an exploratory circling of his entrance. Not to be outdone, he pressed himself down against her, grinding against her tongue and exalting in the arousal it stirred in her. With one hand he held himself propped as the other moved to her pussy, and he inserted two fingers into her, lifting himself to allow her to moan and whimper for him as he began to stroke the inside walls of her sex. Even this was amplified to her, and she gasped and writhed as waves of pleasure washed through her like ocean water. The numbing tingle of pleasure that radiated through her at his touch was sweet enough to take her breath away

When he pressed himself back down against her mouth, grinding his glistening slit against her, he felt the growing ache and need in the bundle at the apex of his slit, and he focused on it, enlarging it against her lips. She accepted him into her mouth and he grew in length perhaps only an inch, but as she suckled at his engorged flesh, she felt him tense against her mouth, and the ferocity of his fingers thrusting increased rapidly, building sweet pressure against her stomach, against the backs of her eyelids, against every part of her until with a shudder she clenched around his fingers and moaned up against the swollen bundle of his cock. The vibrations made him tremble with pleasure and he humped at her mouth, grinding his sensitive flesh against her hot, soft lips until he froze, overcome with a wave of intensity he had not experienced before. He steadied himself as the sensation washed away conscious thought and electrified and ignited his nerves with the hot melting sensation of release. Jessie continued to suckle for a few long moments after he began to come undone, stopping when she could sense the sensitivity becoming too sharp. 

Shakily, he lowered himself off of her to lay at her side, and she held up the blankets for him as though he couldn't just teleport beneath them. The gesture set warmth through him and into her as they lay together beneath the blanket. Jessie wrapped her arms around him and laid her head against his shoulder, relaxing and smiling so widely her face began to ache.

Rob lay next to her, basking in the warm glow of her emotions and realized with intrigue and a small tinge of dismay that the experience he just had was different, more intense than it had been before. Jessie was changing, and that was to be expected because of the difference in their constitution- but It was no mere human. It did not understand, but did not care to try. This moment was to be honored and held, and so it did. For the first time in its infinite memory, It held on to a moment, and absorbed every sensation to create a crystalline memory. This feeling, this taste, the physical sensations in perfect harmony to create what it almost dared to call happiness. A contented purr rumbled in his chest, and Jessie wriggled with a smile, and allowed herself to drift to sleep, calmly floating back out into the darkness amidst the twinkling stars, clutching to the warmth of what she now thought of as her sun.


	9. Chapter 9

Darkness surrounded her twinkling yellow star of light once more. Again Jessie felt the unraveling of her natural glow, the absorption of raw vibrancy, wafts of power from the burning intensity of It. It watched as she was damaged and repaired bit by bit. There were scars on her ethereal body, memories she could only half-recall, most of which were distorted into nonsense. She had survived the last few years of her life by luck, by sheer chance layered on top of her animalistic urge to attack back when provoked. It could see on this plane the little cracks in her light, shards of her soul breaking off and floating away into the blackness. Tiny tendrils of her light sometimes reached out, gripping onto the stray bit and would bring it back. She was healing, slowly. It sent a gentle current of energy toward her, a ripple of orange that shimmered through the darkness and wrapped around her light. The crumbled bits of light pressed back into place, and it saw the energy within her darken just a bit, a minor increase in the yellow hue of her light.

Opening her eyes and sitting up quickly, Jessie looked around her. It lay next to her, still maintaining the form of Rob. His eyes were returning to a sweet shimmering blue, but she could see the flecks of gold as they disappeared. She closed her eyes and quieted her pounding heart slowly. "G-good morning…" she greeted him softly. He propped himself up on an arm, face at her neck, enjoying the increase in her pulse, the dilation of her eyes as she looked at him, the flush of color in her cheeks and the sweet smell she exuded upon experiencing all of these symptoms. He breathed her in, tasting her savory-sweet flavor.

"Good morning, pet." The sound of his voice alone made her heart pound, and she furrowed her brow slightly at the realization that he had such an impact on her physical state. She truly was in his hands, she realized, and that was a touch unsettling for the girl who had avoided relationships of any kind since beginning to run. She had developed affection toward It, and that made her vulnerable enough. If what she had woken from was truly occurring on some plane, she realized, It was changing her. Physically altering her, if the tingling sensation she experienced the night before was any indication. She felt more stable, more in control of herself emotionally, and more mentally clear upon waking from that dream.

"Did you…"

"Fix you, yes." It answered as she struggled to form the question. It seemed almost amused at the confusion on her face. "You needed help adjusting, little one. "

"Adjusting… to you?" she asked, uncertainty plain on her features. "I can feel you more. And you… you didn't mean to show me Beverly yesterday, you were too surprised when I asked about her." It nodded as she spoke, eyes locked onto hers as it observed her. She could feel the energies probing her like silken tendrils sifting through her thoughts and over her body, collecting little bits of sensation in real-time as they occurred. "Whatever you're made of, it feels toxic." A twinge of guilt jolted through her when she considered her own words, but she could feel that It took no offense.

"Yes. To humans, plants, animals, all living things of your realm I am." The response came easily as if they were discussing the mechanics of weather and not the fact that the energy exchange between them was enough to harm her. "I can fix you. I can keep you together, keep it from killing you." She believed its words, and nodded as it spoke. To her, the news did not come as a surprise. She could feel the unraveling of her light, the physical pain of using this borrowed and absorbed energy.

"I see. So, you're both the sickness and the cure." she replied simply, trying to clarify a simple image of the implications of this, and after a long moment of observing this perspective within her mind, it nodded to her and she felt the affirmative of its response. "Well, I guess I've got no choice but to stick with you now, huh?" She smiled a little at that. A part of her had worried about what she would do if they had a falling out. She had the distinct impression from this conversation that should she stay away from It for too long, that her physical body would begin to deteriorate. Without the influence of this strange creature, the energy she had so willingly integrated into herself would break her apart. As she began to wonder the order of such things, she could feel it provide her with a mental image- her skin in this vision began to turn red and sweat beaded on her. Her breathing quickened, and her eyes and nose began to run. Her skin grew to darker shades of red until the sweat that exuded from her was clearly mixed with blood. Her muscles appeared to convulse and cramp, contorting in visibly unnatural ways. This image of her opened its mouth in a silent but implied scream and collapsed to the darkness upon which it stood. Her limbs twisted in strange ways as her skin split and tore, little flecks of light becoming visible where her body had deteriorated and collapsed. It looked as though the light were eating away at the flesh of her body in a time-lapse video. When her body had turned to no more than a runny red mess of bubbling ooze punctuated by brilliant flashes of strange light, the image retreated from her mind.

Jessie remained silent, unsure of how to feel about the vision It had showed her. She understood the implication of the vision- that should she break ties with It, it would mean the end of her life. She had a strange calm sense of peace about this, and accepted it. After all, the last few years had been nothing more than a frantic forward sprint for her. She had no plans for the future, even attempting to formulate an idea of what her future could be was daunting and frustrating. She had no special talents, she felt, and she did not feel a calling to engage in any line of work that she considered to be 'normal.' The only thing that had made her feel a sense of purpose was hunting with It, providing It with sustenance and taking some of the scum off the streets of Derry. A smile formed on her lips as she considered that perhaps it was fine, perhaps this could be her purpose. The soft touch of its hand on her shoulder brought her back to attention.

"Do not worry, pet. Pennywise won't let you crumble." The voice of Rob was soothing to her, and she nodded in response, leaning forward to hug its form. "I can keep you alive despite the damage, keep you alive longer than other humans." It seemed to be thinking as it spoke, a tone of uncertainty to its words. "Can keep you alive for centuries."

"Well that seems a bit overzealous. How about we keep me kicking 'til the end of the week and see how it feels." she offered with a soft laugh.

"You would wish for an end so soon?" It asked, tilting its head at her. "Humans may be short-lived, but a week is not enough time, little one."

"Depends who you're asking, I guess." she answered, leaning back and looking down at her hands in her lap. "I don't know what I'm doing in this world, I suppose. Other than helping you. Honestly, though, I can tell you truly don't 'need' me. I'm just an interesting fascination to pass a small portion of your endless flow of time." The pain in her chest made her voice waver as a sense of sinking weight built at her core. It glanced down at the area of her body that experienced the blossoming pain as though searching for a physical indicator of the cause.

"Come with me." Its voice commanded gently. Rob stood next to the bed and extended a hand to Jessie. As she took it and stood, she felt the strange gliding sensation of It clothing them both. Her eyes widened as she looked down to find herself clad in black shirt and jeans as usual. She shook her head with a giggle, and looked up at It with curiosity. "I'm going to teach you how to get to the cistern. We're going to try something, in case you ever need to feed and I'm not here."

It lead her down, remaining in the form of Rob as they descended into the well in the basement and walked along the tunnels of the Derry sewer system. Jessie focused hard on attempting to memorize the path they took, and it gave her plenty of time, taking a leisurely stride through the filthy water as she followed. When at last they reached the small nest with floating bodies circling in the air as though on strings, Rob turned to look at her, and raised a hand to gesture at one of the bodies. Jessie felt the tingling in her right hand and felt It urge her to attempt to summon one of the floaters to her.

"I'll try, I suppose." she said warily before reaching upward toward them. Intuitively, she sent forth a tendril of her light until she felt the pressure of one of the bodies held up by unseen force and tugged on it, gesturing her fingers in a come-hither motion. Her eyes widened in partial disbelief as one of the bodies floated down in jerky, slow motions until it rested hovering an inch off the ground before her.

"Well, you seem to have a knack for this. For a human, that is." Its voice was oddly cheerful as it spoke, a wide grin bursting along its lips. It seemed to lose interest in maintaining this more human form, and as she watched a bloody red seeped into its lips, lines streaking up the flesh-toned cheeks of Rob's face before white blossomed across his skin like a flower whose petals burst open. The brown locks of the human form burned a fiery orange as the shape of its head changed, becoming larger as the signature curls locked into place on its head. The clown's garb appeared in much the same manner, transforming from casual wear into the Victorian period costume of Pennywise the Dancing Clown. "Feed, my pet. Feast on his fear, little one. Take it." The crisp sound of its words made her skin prickle with anticipation, and Jessie nodded before obediently turning to the floater.

This one had hair, she noticed, dyed blonde with shaved sides. This body was charred from the waist down, shirt shredded and eyes a milky haze with the vacant expression of a captive of the deadlights. Again, she felt the mist rise from those unconscious eyes into her own. The feeling of his fear sipping into her light was exuberant. She felt electrified and emboldened, powerful. Time lost meaning as she stood, drinking in this energy until strength hummed within her, and she felt her own physical sensations as well as the ghostly whisper of the physical sensations of Its form. Pennywise had watched her for the several long minutes that she had taken from the floating body, observed the intensity of her light as it grew. It was pleased, she felt. It was curious as to what changes would come next, and she had to admit to herself that she was also curious.

Tiny alarms went off in her head as she pondered the sensation of feeling both of their experiences simultaneously. "W-wait… what time is it?"

"Your _new friend_…" It bit out these words bitterly as it acknowledged what she was thinking about, "… should be arriving in the park to meet you in a few minutes. You slept for quite a while little one, and the feeding took time as well."

Panic gripped her heart as she realized that at this rate she was going to be late. It sent a wave of amusement through her as it watched her emotional response form. "I'm such a jackass!" she groaned to herself, mind racing with images of how Stan would feel if she didn't show up to meet him. She truly did want to spend time getting to know him, he had felt so very lonely.

"Don't think so much like a human, silly little one." Pennywise said to her with a giggle, bells jingling as his form shook. "You have so much more potential now, and you can use it. Make yourself appear, pet. Close your eyes and envision the place you want to be. You'll feel it happen, and you'll be there."

Jessie worried for a moment about the smell of the sewer water in her clothing that she had walked through, but did as it suggested and felt the crushing pressure surround her. She felt the alien energies shove against her, sending her off like a ship being pushed out to sea. When she felt the firm ground beneath her, she opened her eyes and realized that she was indeed in the park. With relief she noted that her clothing was stain and smell-free. The pulse of light she felt from across the park made her look up, and she smiled to see Stan walking into the park from the direction of his home.

Raising a hand to wave at him, Jessie saw his eyes draw to her, and the smile that formed on his lips raised her spirits. "Hey!" she called as she trotted to him, grinning widely. "Glad to see you're doing alright. You have a good night?"

He nodded in response and held out a hand to her, which she shook. "Hey, yeah. I had a pretty decent night. How about you?"

"It was lovely." she said with a giggle. "So, what pray tell are we going to do today? I'm interested to see what you want to show me.

"Well, there is a trail we can walk. It's about a mile and a half long, nothing too fancy. If you're not into the hiking scene we could hit the movies, go have some dinner. It's up to you, really." He seemed nervous and his eyes kept flicking from her to an area on the ground behind her and back, as though making eye contact were genuinely a struggle.

"I think that a walk sounds perfect. Lead the way~." Offering her arm to him, she smiled widely when he took it and they strode easily across town. As they walked, she looked around her. For the first time in days, she was looking at the buildings, decorations, windows of shops, anything but the people. She wasn't on the hunt today, and a mild sense of relief came with that. It was nice, she reflected, to feel like just a person and not like a lion prowling for prey.

The nature trail that Stan took her to was indeed a little short, but the areas it traveled through had beautiful scenery, a tiny brook running through it with wooden bridges built for crossing the water. Beautiful birds of red and yellow and blue flitted from branch to branch overhead, twittering their high pitched songs as Stan pointed them out, naming them off to Jessie. She smiled and laughed, impressed at his ability to name the tiny creatures from so far away. When they at last exited the nature trail, the sun was setting and spreading a golden hue through the trees. Stan turned to Jessie as they exited back into the parking lot. "That was nice. If you're hungry, we could grab something to eat before it's time to head home. I've got a pretty strict schedule I keep, so I'll be heading to bed in about two hours."

Jessie agreed and they walked, still arm-in-arm to the same restaurant Richie and Eddie had taken her to two days prior. With a start, she turned when she heard a voice call out her name, and saw the two of them seated at a booth. They had drinks set before them but did not appear to have any food at their table. Richie stood and walked over, giving her a one-armed hug.

"Hey there stranger! Fancy meeting you here." Jessie giggled quietly and returned the half-hug, glad that the nerves she would have expected to feel at such familiarity were practically non-existent. She felt comfortable with them, all three of them. Even Stan seemed to be expecting to feel worse than he truly did upon Richie's approach.

"Richie! Hey! I just came here with Stan, Stan this is Richie, and that's Eddie." Jessie introduced them quickly, gesturing at Eddie who remained seated with an inviting smile.

"I actually remember you, from school." Stan said quietly. His tone was soft and pleasant, as though they had at one point been friends, or at least acquaintances.

"Oh yeah! I remember you! We both caught hell from Henry Bowers and his shit-eating friends, I know that for sure. It's good to see you, man, how have you been?"

Stan smiled a little at the recognition. "I've been doing. It's good to see you around too. You and Eddie kept in touch I see?"

"We have, we've actually been together for years now." Richie smiled almost bashfully as he spoke, and Jessie smiled when she noticed Eddie's cheeks burning with color. Both of them gave off a wave of apprehension as their truth was revealed to their ex-classmate. Stan gave off nothing other than happiness though as he responded.

"That's great, I'm happy for you two." he replied, nodding to first Richie and then Eddie with a smile. "I'm glad you found happiness."

Their smiles matched the warmth that spread out from them upon his response. "Thanks, man. Hey, if you guys were coming to sit in, we have plenty of room and we haven't ordered yet. You can come sit with us if you'd like."

Stan looked to Jessie and she nodded and shrugged. "I'm down with that if you are."

He smiled and nodded as well. "Yeah… honestly yeah, that sounds nice." They joined Richie and Eddie at their table, and spent two hours reminiscing about school days as Jessie watched and listened and basked in the glow that seemed to emanate from the three of them. There was something healing, something warm about them when they were all together. Apart, they were kindred spirits. People who had also suffered, and who had the light within them. Together, however, she felt a sense of purpose. Without understanding what she felt, she allowed this warmth to seep into her, and she felt her own light brighten in response to them. They burned together, and though only she could nearly see the light itself like a ripple beneath the surface of the visible world surrounding her, all of them felt it.

"So Jessie, tell us a little about yourself. You've been listening to our history this whole time but we don't know anything about you." Richie said, looking to her with curious eyes. It was as though by allowing her light to mingle with theirs she had truly joined them at the table, sitting not as an observer but as an equal.

"Well, I'm nothing special. My dad wasn't around, my mom died when I was young, my step-dad was abusive and I ran away. That is, in a nutshell, my story." Jessie said. She felt it better to rip off the band-aid for this part of the getting-to-know-you process. She hadn't opened up to people really since she started running. She didn't want them to look at her with pity in their eyes. They sat quietly for a moment, unsure of what to say in response to that. She shook her head slightly with a smile. "Listen, it's fine. I know that sounds like a lot, but right now I'm just excited to be making friends with you guys, so let's not focus on all of that."

"Nicely put." Richie replied, nodding a little. "What kinds of things do you enjoy? Favorite kind of music? Favorite colors?? Food? Things like that, what do you like?"

Jessie paused and looked down at the table for a moment. She considered this carefully and it felt strange to recall her preferences when she hadn’t had much experience enjoying anything for years. "Well… I like most kinds of music I guess, but the angry stuff makes me feel better. I obviously like black the best, yeah… not very original of me. Favorite food would have to be pizza. I love the entire horror genre. Books, movies, music, you name it. There's just something about the honesty of a monster that touches my heart. People put on their plastic faces and pretend their way into your life then stab you in the back. Slashers, beasts, monsters… they're all so simple. They do what they do. They're consistent."

"Well, other than being slightly terrifying that makes a lot of sense." Richie said with a grin, nodding a little. "I can dig it, we got the scary psycho lover on our hands, guys. I mean, you were pretty bad-ass standing up to that asshole the other day. Still haven't been harassed by him since. We should hang out with you more often, you can be our friendly neighborhood asshole repellent." Eddie and Stan grinned at this and looked at her, and Jessie could see the recognition in their eyes. She belonged, and it felt right. Like a clicking together of matching jigsaw pieces.

Jessie grinned proudly and lifted her head. "Hey, I'll stand up to any asshole. I've got nothing to lose and damn does it feel good." She laughed along with them, and for another half-hour she sat and talked with them, sharing memories and philosophical thoughts. A pulsating light poured off of the group, and Jessie observed this warily with a pang of guilt. It was observing, she knew. She could feel Its uneasiness and its watchful presence was faint but unmistakable. She began to feel the tingling sensation it had taught her to associate with 'hunger'.

"Oh, shit. Look at the time… I was supposed to get home a while ago, I'm gonna need to head out guys." Stan stood and shook hands with the three of them.

Jessie stood quickly with relief. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." she agreed "It was really nice hanging out with all of you though."

Richie and Eddie both stood as well, and when the bill was paid they exited into the parking lot exchanging half-hugs and pleasantries. Jessie hurried herself along through the ritual of saying goodbye that she was not quite used to, and then walked until she was a suitable distance from them all. Closing her eyes, she whimpered quietly at the pins and needles she felt prickling her body and pushed her light outward, calling out to It. She needed its help to return to the cistern as quickly as possible. There was a moment of hesitation, but then she felt its energy wrap around her and pull her into the crushing sensation, depositing her amidst the grey water.

When she opened her eyes to find herself successfully transported, Jessie reached out and pulled one of the floating bodies to her, drinking greedily from its milky gaze for several long minutes. She became aware once she had released the body back into its slow macabre orbit that Pennywise was peering at her from within its nest, eyes glowing amber. She didn't hesitate to climb the nest and curl up in the clown's large lap, leaning inward against its chest despite the wary pulsations of alertness that surrounded it.

"You're calling the others." It stated simply, looking at her with a blank expression. She felt a multitude of emotions from her connection with it, but it had masked the majority of its sensations from being bled into her through physical contact.

"Calling the others?"

"Summoning the remaining members. The others exist in this world, I can feel their lights responding. They will come, and they will gather together."

"I see… But they don't have a reason to target you." Jessie furrowed her brow, considering what their presence could mean. Would the dynamic shift? Would they try to target It? She didn't think so, It had made the mistake of eating Georgie in its previous home, and were it not for that fixation, she doubted that they would have been so intent on finding and killing It.

"When they are together, if they become aware of me and my nature, they may decide to attempt to end me. You stand in their circle with them. I know you felt it."

She nodded her head slightly. "I did feel it. But, as long as I stand in their circle, I won't let them target you. You aren't doing what you did before, you're doing good in the world this time around, even if that truly doesn't matter to you. It should matter to them. I know it does matter to me."

"And what would you do, my pet, if Pennywise returned to his old ways? What would you do if you saw the body of a child floating here with the rest, or saw in a vision or dream the hunt of a young one?"

Coldness wrapped around her heart at its words, and she considered what the truth of the matter was carefully before speaking, despite the visibility of her emotions and thoughts to this being. "I don't think I would be able to handle that, Pennywise. I told you before what my feelings were on kids. I wouldn't be happy. I don't know how far I would be able to take that, I suppose if I got too upset about it I would literally die, without your help to heal me." She pushed forth the memory of the vision it had showed her earlier, of her body melting against the power of the deadlights.

Consideration and hints of agitation, anger, the feelings of a child being denied a delicious treat washed through her from it. "Mortal… if you wish to set such restrictions, I must insist then that you replace the flavor yourself that I shall no longer have." Its voice was distorted as it spoke, a low growl resonating as the words emerged from behind bloody lips and jagged teeth. Jessie snapped her head up to look at the face of the clown, clearly distorted into its feeding features. Her heart jumped and she shivered, flinching away for a moment from the dangerous hunger that she sensed. Blackness engulfed her, and she found herself in much the same setting as the vision it had showed her. Darkness without form surrounded her and she felt cold seep into her body. Her heart ached, and she felt with pure clarity the fear that began to bloom within her, having been deposited into this place that felt so isolated and empty.

Without sight, she felt the icy sensation of water surrounding her. It began at her feet, rising up her body. The sensation of being surrounded by cold water washed upward, rising above her head. Jessie kicked her feet and tried to keep her face above the cold water she perceived, but she felt unable to reach the surface. Her lungs burned as she held her breath, struggling in the sensation of being suspended in liquid with flailing limbs. When the pain in her chest was too great and she felt her vision begin to go white with terror, she opened her mouth and took in a breath. Her lungs filled with air, mercifully. The sensation of being surrounded by water was gone as quickly as it had occurred, leaving her standing still in the blackness, blind to any surroundings but standing on a firm surface, hands on her knees, coughing and panting as she caught her breath. She felt the draw of It absorbing the fear from her body in huge pulses.

_More…_ The thought came as an intrusion upon her mind, and she froze, eyes wide, wondering what to expect. Tiny prickles began at her feet and stampeded up her body, swarms of tiny legs as she felt herself covered and an image of tiny spiders covering her body stained her mind, causing her to scream and flail and slap herself. Tears seeped from her eyes and she curled up, shaking her head. "Stop, _stop, **stop**_…. Please just make it stop, _I'm sorry_." The sensation mercifully once more ended as she pleaded. This time, however, without warning she felt the sudden unmistakable sensation of plummeting through the air. Curling into a ball, she screamed and held herself tightly as images of her body crashing into the ground and splintering apart, exploding to pieces on impact came unbidden to her mind. After a few long moments, she returned to the consciousness of being held in its arms inside the nest. Tears flowed down her face as she clung tightly to its body, eyes wrenched closed.

Her heart calmed when she felt the soft caress of its gloved hand stroking her hair. With a sudden rush of sensation, she felt a wave of relief wash through her and felt satiated as it felt at that moment. Her body loosened at this, and her skin and muscles tingled at the sudden relaxation. "_Thank you thank you thank you…_" she whispered repeatedly, wiping the tears from her face. It clutched her more closely and she whimpered against its chest, quieting to the vibrations of its deep rumbling purr of contentment. When the fear died completely down, Jessie was left feeling tired, but also more alive, more stimulated and present. 

"I have to ask… what exactly was the point of all that?" she asked, sitting upright and turning to face Pennywise, who was observing her with a little grin.

"You lost the feeling, little one. You needed to find it again. The point of our effort, the thing that will sustain not only me, but you as well. Your tasty, tasty, beautiful fear." As he spoke, drool dripped from his lips, and she noticed the dangerous red ring around his iris. "You know it now, the feeling you need to hunt for. That, pet, is what _you_ need to learn to do."

Jessie bit her lips and swallowed hard against the nervousness in her throat. It was not in her nature, generally speaking, to want to see other people suffer. The prospect of making someone else experience the hysterical depths of terror she had felt in the blackness, experiencing blind horror that shook her soul, made her stomach knot and writhe. "I… I understand it, I do. I just need to feel like there is a reason to make another human being feel this way… that was obviously awful, and I guess I owe you thanks for helping me feel more emotions, but that was not something I would just wish on strangers."

"Little one will know a time when choices need to be made. Play your games of justification all you like, mortal, but this is no longer a fantasy." Pennywise stroked one clawed finger down the side of her face as she stared into his glowing eyes so much like embers in a fire pit.

"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it, then. For now there is no reason for me to sit here and try to internalize the amount of suffering I need to inflict on others." she said softly, eyes moving down to his neck ruffle. She felt so tired from the strain of being gripped with terror coupled with the amount of energy he took from her to feast upon. Once more, Pennywise scooped Jessie into his arms and took them to the bathtub, sitting down with her in his arms and rubbing and massaging her aching body. He took particular care with her, lowering her slowly into the heat of the tub, and then methodically set about rubbing away the stress from her muscles. She felt from his perspective as he did this and observed that he felt almost as though he were cleaning a tool. She didn't have any hesitation in allowing him to pamper her this time. Instead, she felt almost entitled to it after the shit he just pulled, regardless of her ability to _almost_ understand why he did it. She sighed deeply and laid against him under the water, trying to focus on the physical sensations around her instead of the memory being terrified.

Pennywise began to grope at and caress her stomach, breasts and thighs as her mind struggled to grapple with the stress. Blackened claws ringed and tweaked her nipples tenderly. With a soft moan, she arched her back against him in the tub, grinding herself back against him. She closed her eyes, throwing herself into the excitement of arousal to escape the sadness that threatened to gut her. The other clawed hand shifted from her breast down her side, trailing sharp tips over the skin of her ribs. Sharp teeth pricked the side of her neck, and she felt its tongue glide over her sensitive flesh and making her skin prickle with desire. A soft moan issued from her chest, and she reached to touch its hands as they explored and entertained her. When the tip of a claw reached her swollen clit, she bucked her hips sharply in response, gasping and tensing at the stimulation. A soft chuckle rumbled through it and she felt the vibrations throughout herself as it gently grazed its claw against the sensitive nub again, more persistently that time. Pleasure cut through her like electricity through a wire and she she ground herself against its touch, her throbbing stiff bundle of nerves bursting with sensation against the dangerously sharp digit.

As she bucked and writhed against its claw, Jessie also felt something change beneath her. An appendage was extending, pressing against her ass as it lengthened, throbbing as it grew. It felt slippery to her, as though it were coated in some sort of lubricant. Her body trembled as she felts its claws move to her hips, gripping her tightly and lifting her in the water. She could not see beneath the milky surface of the water that surrounded them, which only increased her excitement as she felt the unseen tip of its appendage press in between the warm lips of her vulva and rub against the entrance of her aching hole. Pennywise held her there, allowing itself to stroke the slit of her sex, teasing her jumpy nerves and making her whimper and wriggle in its grip. It could feel her need, could feel the gaping, empty sensation that burned at her core. With a low growl of satisfaction, It proceeded to lower her onto its slick shaft. Its length grew thicker as she descended on it, and when her hot, swollen lips pressed tight against the pulsing line surrounding its own slit, she could feel the flesh that spread her open expand to fill her so completely that her clenching walls practically sucked at the slick length. Pennywise began to thrust into her slowly and evenly, adjusting his rhythm to milk pleasure from her with expert precision. Jessie wriggled in his grasp as he brought her to release within minutes, continuing to fuck into her contracting sex as the pleasure spattered stars across the inside of her eyelids. She moaned loudly and placed her hands over it claws as it continued to thrust into her, a low rumble in his chest giving an indication that he was reaching his peak. His mouth found the nape of her neck, and his tongue trailed over her pulse and rimmed the lobe of her ear, causing her to cry out and melt into the euphoria of release once more. The waves of her sensations bleeding into him combined with her clenching walls around its shaft forced it to stagger its breathing and hilt itself into her, and she could feel the hot sticky flush of its seed within her, filling her around its throbbing length. 

Jessie sighed deeply, exhausted and weary with fatigue. "Thank you…" she whimpered softly to It, tilting her head back. "I'm so tired…" Her eyes drooped as she spoke, and without any fight at all, she lost consciousness in its arms in the warm water, still joined. Pennywise held her this way for a little while, pondering the nature of this human and the effect she seemed to be having on its experience. It tried to tamp down the warmth in its chest, concerned by the foreign feeling even now, but the desire to experience the pleasant emotions of its pet lead it to cuddle her closer, to bring her, dry, to bed and hold her in its embrace. It felt strangely for having scared her. She had tasted so delicious then, it had been a near impossible feat to keep its teeth retracted, to resist the urge to draw her flesh into its mouth, resisted the thirst for her blood. Now as she lay unconscious in its arms, it felt crushing pain in its form's chest, and it growled at the pain, impatient for it to subside. It reached the higher plane to find her tiny crumbling star and wrap it in protection, doing its best to gently hold the little body together while its human rested.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts and comments are greatly appreciated~
> 
> Previous chapters were revised 10/28, most notably chapters 1 and 2.
> 
> Any suggestions or feelings are welcome. :3


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Changing up the formatting a little bit this time. I've been feeling inspired by some of the beautiful fics on here that I've read lately, and this just feels like it flows nicer. Going to probably go back and edit the rest of the chapters to make the whole piece more digestible. Let me know what you think, if you like.

Jessie opened her eyes to an urgent thought that stamped itself into her conscious mind.

**Protect him.**

She sat swiftly with a gasp, finding herself in bed lying next to Pennywise. Once more, it looked as though it had simply been watching her, soaking in her presence as she slumbered.

She looked down at the blanket that covered her legs as she tried to recall the previous night, but recoiled from the effort at the first flash of terror that jerked her back to lucidity.

Memories of the feelings of drowning, of being covered in spiders and of falling assaulted her mind from within, and she felt her heart pound painfully. Wincing, she groaned until numbness blanketed her. Turning back to face him, she could tell by the tell-tale red ring of its irises that she was afraid. The feeling was brief, but exquisitely painful for an eternal moment.

"Good morning…" she said quietly, giving a small partial smile. "Sorry… I'm going to have to get used to that, huh? Now that you're unlocking more than just the good in me."

Sighing and leaning back into the soft mattress, she reflected on herself, the crushing pain that had wracked her only a moment before left her aching in the cold embrace of apathy. Seeking to feel something less volatile, she reflected on the place in which she found herself.

Dust encrusted and warped, the flooring of this room when she had arrived looked almost sickly and diseased, with loose boards and a few holes, dead leaves scattered about and crunching underfoot. Cobwebs and spiderwebs alike hung in the air, stirring faintly at the slightest movement of air. The air itself seemed sepia-toned, depressingly decayed in an untouched fashion.

Jessie had figured that this place was used for shelter by those who, like herself, had no other options… but certainly no one who entered had thought to attempt to clean anything other than a small spot for themselves to lay.

As she tried the stairs, she winced at the groan of the wood, hoping it would be strong enough to allow her further exploration. When she safely reached the landing, she released a painfully deep breath of air and stepped forward, seeing an open room directly across from her. The room, she found, had a window through which yellowed light streamed. The warped floor worried her slightly, she was concerned about tripping herself or stumbling should she have to exit quickly.

Beyond that small tension in the pit of her stomach, pulling her guts taut like a guitar string, she felt nothing. She looked upon the filthy, aged mattress and kicked the edge of it. It didn't seem to be infested with anything, and although it had some stains, she had a sleeping bag to use over top of it. It would just be nice to feel some cushion under her and not be surrounded by people.

Acceptance for the state of the house was near instant for her, she thought, and she supposed that the reason for that was her own stale, unmoving heart. She felt nothing as she settled in. She felt nothing more than a rush when she had been followed, when she cut and bound the men who had entered the house after her.

The first glimmer of emotion that Jessie could remember, as she lay half-dozing next to a very observant, ochre eyed Pennywise, was surprise. Not shock, she thought. Not a bad feeling, really. She had been surprised to see a clown standing inside the house. She had tried to brush it off as her own insanity in a habitual tendency to avoid the world around her, and then there was the light.

Hot, vibrant, savage, hungry…

But also invigorating, exciting and in its own strange way, beautiful.

This light made her feel so many things, starting with her awe of it the first night. Surprise, and then awe. Purpose was next. When she realized she could help it and heal it, that which had felt so familiar to her, so broken and hurt, she finally _wanted_ to do something.

Anger was not new to her. It was a persistent emotion. Sure, it had dampened. Apathy had stolen its way into her heart and muffled the scalding rage she naturally experienced, but it could never snuff the flame entirely. The purpose she felt, though… that made things different. With a desire to act, she embraced the thrill of the chase, the justice of seeing judgement cast upon the wicked.

The head of the bear that Pennywise had become was both a source of surprise and excitement to her. Jessie was fascinated and ecstatic, giddy with excitement at watching his viciousness. The pleasant feeling warmed her core and made her body almost vibrate. That was a feeling she could get addicted to.

When he had been offended by her speech, she had not yet truly felt afraid, but she had experienced shame. She did not understand at the time the tightening of her guts or the sinking in her chest- hindsight provided her with clarity. Relief when he had calmed down. Wonder, curiosity, a fair bit of disgust and back to numbness when It had shared its past with her.

The softest whisper of silk against her skin brought Jessie out of her thoughts and back to the moment. She felt a gloved finger brushing lightly over her neck from her jaw, down over her collar bone. The touch continued downward, down the center of her chest, over the dip of her navel. She felt the heat rise in her cheeks as the touch faded, hand lifted away.

"This is the part we were getting to, isn't it?" Pennywise asked with a cheeky grin, as he leaned closer to her face. Pausing with his face inches from hers, he locked his eyes onto her own. The intensity pouring out of them took Jessie's breath away, she felt pinned by his gaze.

"Y-yeah… that'd be about it, I guess…" Her mind continues down its path, recalling their day at the fair next, how genuinely good the entire day felt. Her heart blossomed with hints of that same warm happiness, and heat pooled deep within her as she remembered the feeling of his kiss, the first time she tasted him.

The feeling of exposing herself, willingly, wanting to be touched.

That heat that roared through them, from one body into the other. Sensations shared by invisible ties that thrummed deep inside like chords struck to make a beautiful, sensuous song.

The feeling of stretching her open, the taste of his arousal, the flexibility of his body…

There were so many possibilities.

Jessie's blush deepened and she timidly looked at Pennywise with widening eyes, realizing that whether she wanted to voice them or not, all of the fantasies that danced through her mind were playing for It like a television set in the back of its mind.

Pennywise grinned widely and mischievously, placing a gloved hand over her eyes.

Soft rustling and shifting of weight caught her attention, and then her eyes were uncovered. Jessie looked at its form with her mouth slightly agape, cheeks blazing red. Her irises dilated noticeably and she made a soft unintelligible sound.

Before her was a porcelain skinned auburn beauty with full, pouty lips and large sapphire eyes. She could feel It gauging her reaction for a moment before a cocky grin turned up one corner of that soft, inviting pair of lips.

"Yes, little one~ there are so many games we could play, and Pennywise can be anyone. Anything." The sultry voice that met Jessie's ears flooded her with heat, and her skin felt electrified. "What's the matter, pet? Cat got your tongue?"

Jessie bit her lips and swallowed hard against the pressure building in her throat. She was used to this creature's presence, but this form was… breathtaking. Her eyes fixed on first the familiar blue irises, and then the similar plump lips. The softness of the facial features, the silky waves of coppery hair that framed her so perfectly. Every feature made Jessie's heart pound in her throat.

Leaning forward with a chuckle, the girl kissed Jessie slowly and sensuously. The velvet caress of her lips sent a jolt of excitement through Jessie like lightning, melting her core with desire.

"You look… fucking gorgeous." Jessie breathed bashfully, pulling her face away and turning her eyes downward.

"Mmm Thank you little one~." The soft voice made Jessie's soul shudder and tremble. "You can call this form Penny. Keep things simple, hmm?" A devilish grin widened over those soft lips, and Jessie ached to kiss them again.

Jessie chastised herself internally for her struggle between desire and action. While this being was clearly initiating intimacy that they had already previously indulged in, Jessie's heart froze and glitched at the newness this form presented. It felt to her almost like touching a stranger. As her discomfort appeared, another feeling again shot through her from without.

**PROTECT HIM.**

The thought tore through her reflections like tissue paper and the force of it made Jessie jump slightly. Penny looked unsurprised, if displeased. Her eyes were shimmering with golden flecks as she observed the human, aware of the energy that was foreign to both of them.

"You're being called." It wasn't a question, Jessie realized, though the voice of Its new form again set her heart aflutter after the shock of the intruding command. "You should heed it, if you wish to avoid pain." Penny pouted almost absently, as though wrestling with some decision. "Just when things were starting to get… interesting…"

Her smirk was decadent, a coaxing, testing little thing that tugged at Jessie from the heat in her belly and made her whimper softly. Gods, she thought, this form was genuine _art_. Robert was handsome, of course, with strong features and a dominating presence. He felt to her like being surrounded in upholstered foam, almost rigid but luxuriously smooth.

Pennywise was a unique shock of sensations to be near, and she was fond of the warm sense of gratitude that had developed for him. Not conventionally attractive, she supposed, but the familiarity, the exchanges between them drove her to an emotional desire to embrace him.

To show her appreciation of him.

But **this** form. Jessie suspected that this form was truly art, something created with the intention of being completely irresistible to specifically her.

Penny was almost delicate in appearance, but the adventurous spark in those endless blue eyes was enough in itself to light Jessie from within and make her burn, to yearn for touch.

With lips impossibly kissable, locks smoother than luxury fabric and unshakable confidence, Penny was everything that Jessie would fantasize about. The perfect image of her pretend partner that she would imagine in those moments when loneliness sought to engulf and smother her.

It knew those fantasies, she realized. She felt oddly touched, slightly invaded, but almost relieved at being seen. At her desires being known, being accepted, being _provided._ Jessie's heart ached a little at the idea that she was being called to, summoned away.

She had been given a gift, and was going to have to wait until later to show her appreciation. She closed her eyes and sighed, putting her hands over her face. After a pause, she looked back up at Penny, who remained impassive though her plump lower lip almost appeared to pout.

With an apologetic half-smile, Jessie leaned forward and kissed Penny softly, bringing a hand up to stroke her cheek . "I'm sorry… thank you."

Penny grinned and her eyes flashed amber for a moment. "You're welcome, pet." She leaned forward and nipped Jessie's lower lip lightly. "We can resume this another time, of course~." The promise was clear in those determined shimmering eyes, and Jessie trembled and ached to see it.

"I guess I better go figure this shit out then, hm?" Jessie laughed a little bit before standing beside the bed.

"Don't forget to come back and play with me~." Penny called in a teasing voice as Jessie walked out the door with a flustered blush.

She left the house quickly and when she had exited the dead yard surrounding the decaying house, she closed her eyes and breathed in slowly and deeply.

She could feel pulsations of light, four of them. She knew one to be in the direction of Stanley's house, two others were close together and she assumed those to be Richie and Eddie.

The fourth, this new light, was in the direction of the library, and so this is the direction she chose to walk in.

As she walked, she connected herself to these lights. Her mind became a fog of thought; hers, It's, Stanley thinking about what to make for lunch, Richie and Eddie sharing jokes and laughter. With relief she focused on the latter two, smiling to herself to feel their lights burning and dancing together.

Upon approaching the library, Jessie noticed that the air became thick with malice- enough to make her stomach clench and twist with discomfort.

Her eyes scanned the surrounding area, and with a certain amount of discomfort she noticed that there were very few people around at the moment. There was one man that caught her attention, leaning against a tree within view of the library doors.

He was lean with a sharp, angry face and dark, greasy hair. His focus was sharp, pointed and surrounded in features of disgust. He clearly was glaring at someone inside the library, and Jessie took a deep breath to calm her nerves before entering the building, feeling outward with her light for a response.

Immediately as she entered, she noticed a man behind the counter raise his head and look directly at her, as though she had called out to him or spoken his name. Their eyes met, and Jessie could feel an instinctive drive to step forward, stand at the counter and introduce herself.

"Hi, my name's Jessie." She held out her hand, inwardly shocked at the ease with which she was introducing herself to someone without first even observing their behavior for a time. She calmed when he took her hand and shook it amiably enough and smiled.

  
"Mike Hanlon, it's a pleasure to meet you, Jessie. Did you need help finding anything here?" He asked this all with an air of faint recognition, as though he felt he knew her somehow and was trying to place the familiarity.

"It's nice to meet you, Mike! I was actually wondering if you by chance know that guy standing by the tree out there? He's just kind of leering with quite the face." She glanced back briefly, noticing that the man was glaring at her as well, now that she had gestured in his direction.

Mike's expression fell and he quickly masked the dark fear that bloomed within his chest.

"Oh um… Yes, yes I know him. Just make sure to give him plenty of space, he's one of the more… brutish people in town." He looks down to his desk for a moment, then back up to see the man once more glaring at him from the windows. "You know, we have some interesting books that just came in, would you like to see them? Get a little tour?"

His offer made Jessie grin, and she nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds really cool. I'm down for that." She allowed him to lead her around the library, giving her a brief run-down of the layout.

When they had gone around the main floor, he took her away from the view of the windows, toward a darker corner. He stopped when they were concealed from any outside view, and exhaled in a tired manner.

"Listen, I'm not sure how long you intended to be in the library, but if that guy is here he probably doesn't have any good intentions, and he was giving you the eyes too, after you looked back at him. It's only an hour to closing now, but I suggest that if you get out of here before then, you take the other exit." he said quietly, gesturing to the corner behind him.

As he spoke, Jessie nodded and observed him.

"I'll keep that in mind. I'm not sure how long I'll be staying this time, but this place is very cozy and soothing. I've dealt with assholes before, too, so don't worry about him coming after me. I'm just sorry you have scumbags like that to deal with around here. Derry is… quite the place." She sighed softly and looked around her at the spines of books, some old, some new, all of them organized tightly into place on the many shelves.

"Well, I don't know what kind of assholes you're used to, but that man out there is dangerous, and also lucky. Just make sure you're careful." he warned, before turning at the sound of a bell being rung at the librarian's desk. "I've got to go back up there. Keep in mind what I said, and hopefully I'll see you around some more."

He gave her a bright smile before returning to the desk. She could feel the tension in him remain at about the same level as he moved back into view of the angry man outside.

Anger bubbled under her skin like heat as she felt the hostile vibrations outside multiply. It felt as though another had come to join the first man. She slinked out the door Mike had gestured to, looking around with vicious heat spreading through her gut.

Moving to the front of the building from the side, she peered around the building's corner and saw that what she had felt was correct, there was now another man standing beside the first, both of them training their gaze on the building's interior.

Waves of noxious hate were emanating from them, creating a sort of darkness that Jessie could perceive, though it was like a shimmer over reality, and she knew that it would not appear visible to the people passing on the streets.

Jessie walked across the street to a small diner and ordered a burger to eat, scarfing it down almost ravenously. She kept an eye on the clock inside the diner, waiting until a few minutes before the closing time of the library.

The emanations of hatred and darkness from the front of the building only grew, and she felt that it was probable that more people had gathered. When she returned, she stood a small distance from them and observed that two had become six.

They all had the same dark cloud of menace hanging around them, like tiny human thunderstorms waiting to lash out with their lightning.

Mike was still inside the library, she could feel. The lights were turning off one by one, and Jessie's heart beat hard in her chest as she thought of what she could do.

Mike would come outside and if her observations were true she anticipated they would pounce on him the moment he walked out the door. As much as she was scared to attempt to channel this strange, painful power alone, she did not want any harm to come to an innocent man who had been nothing but kind and gentlemanly to her.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Jessie calmed her mind and focused on tapping into the orange glow that was slowly attempting to saturate her light. She teased and pulled it outward, pushing it forward into the shape of Mike.

She focused hard on her mental image of him, imagined him walking out the back door he had told her about. She imagined into illusion the sound of a door opening, closing, the click of a lock.

She projected an image of Mike walking around the side of the building, and she gasped when she heard the men react. Their voices were angry, irritating to her ears. She focused hard on retaining this image of Mike, pausing at the noise and turning his gaze to the group.

Her own eyes were beholden to them approaching this image with large, angry strides. They seemed convinced that they had genuinely seen and heard him leave. 

As she pushed this image to run back around the building and to the barrens, Jessie gritted her teeth to the tingling sensation that spread over her body, and trotted after the group that had followed this faux-Mike.

The light was bleeding out of the sky quickly by this time, and when she reached the beginning of the over-grown land, she was aching everywhere, and chose to seat herself beside the road.

She could see it like before, like a daydream in the back of her mind- this projected image of Mike sprinting through the spaces between trees, just barely slow enough for the group to keep their eyes on it.

Leading them to a yawning sewer pipe was easy enough, she was pleased to see.

She could feel Its amusement and excitement- it made her smile despite the burning, stabbing sensation that was increasing in intensity as she maintained the illusion.

She lead them into the sewer, projecting the splashing sound of footsteps, heavy breathing, gasping and whimpers of fright. She wanted them to believe they had their prey, she wanted to bring them in as far as she could to the darkness.

With any luck, maybe It would help her. She had delivered them to its very doorstep, granted she still had to make them afraid. At least two of them were starting to feel frightened the further they were lead into the dark, which was a relief to her.

She finally stopped projecting noises into the tunnels when they were sufficiently deep to be surrounded by darkness. She huffed with annoyance when she realized that of course, they all had phones on them with flashlights and they were shining those irritating lights on the form of Mike that she had to continue to maintain.

Jessie's illusion paused and turned around. The men started speaking again, and Jessie made the mouth of the false Mike open wide in an inhuman roar, like a lion.

They all froze at that, startled and only just beginning to feel true fear. They hadn't expected that, sure, but she would have to do better.

Breathing heavily at the side of the road, Jessie put her hands down into the dirt to either side, fingers digging in harshly as her skin beaded with sweat. She felt like she had a hell of a fever, but she wanted to do this RIGHT. For Mike's sake, for anyone else who had ever been harassed or hurt by these people.

She pushed forth the mental image of Mike transforming, skin bloating and splitting. Sounds of bones breaking and scraping and meat ripping filling the tunnels around the group. They all watched with eyes bulging in disbelief. One of them dropped their phone into the stale water.

The rest kept the beams of their flashlights trained on the man whose skin was sloughing off in wet chunks as his frame bulged and broke. He was sprouting fur though his skin did not fully reform. The image was decaying as it morphed.

A bipedal wolf creature stared back at them with one milky, dead eye. Gaping holes in its muscle tissues oozed pus as a gurgling snarl sounded from the terrifying vision. The men screamed and began to run as Jessie pushed the creature toward one of them with her mind.

She envisioned the beast leaping onto the man's back, sending him crashing down into the grey water of the sewer tunnel. He screamed as he fell, gurgling open mouthed horror into the waste water surrounding him. Finding the back of his thigh with its teeth, the wolf sank in its fangs and ripped away a large dripping chunk of muscle.

The illusion swallowed, and the meat plopped into the water. There was no stomach to this creature, only the teeth and claws were consistent enough to touch.

He lay screaming and sobbing in the filthy water as she sent the wolf after them all, one by one injuring them but leaving them alive, tasting the familiar thick sweetness of fear build in her throat as they were each assaulted in the tunnels.

Her own body was brightening with color now, her pale skin tinged an angry red.

Jessie released the energy that gave form to those deadly jaws and claws, grunting softly. She focused hard and closed her eyes tight, beckoning It's help to transport her to the first man the wolf had felled.

With a** pop **Jessie appeared in the water beside him, the crushing sensation dissipating as she opened her eyes. The darkness was complete, all of the phones having disappeared into the water. All false lights extinguished, and she was certain he could not see her.

Jessie, however, could see him. She could see the brightness of his eyes, the swirling milky fear that skimmed above the surface and that called out to her, magnetizing her entire body to this man. She reached into the blackness and gripped the sides of his head.

He whimpered and cried, but fell silent as she glared into his eyes, and the light started to leave him, swirling up into her own gaze.

The pain Jessie had been surrounded in was gone the moment she began to drink from his eyes, and she groaned softly with relief. She pulled from him as from a well. He was silent and motionless, just like those in the deadlights, but his fear felt more potent and fresh.

She was vaguely aware of It moving around her as it collected the others, trapping them in the deadlights. She noticed the bright glow as It stood before them, opening its face to them. It then took them away to the cistern to float with the others.

When she at last felt a sense of contentment, she broke her gaze from the man who collapsed screaming into the water.

She looked up to see Pennywise grinning devilishly at her in the dark, before it grabbed the man by the hair. It yanked him up and backward as its mouth grew wide, and bit into his face with savage delight.

It crunched through his skull and slurped somewhat to collect the brain matter that threatened to splash into the water. The wet sound of it swallowing made her shiver.

"Excellent, good little pet~," the clown cooed at her in an almost mocking fashion, "You've brought more tasty treats for ol' Pennywise. Good, good girl." He grinned with wickedly sharp fangs and bit another chunk of flesh from the remains that hung from his hands.

"I need to go make sure Mike is okay." Jessie stated quickly as she felt another flush of commanding force stamp into her mind.

**PROTECT HIM.**

She closed her eyes and focused hard, trying to bring herself back to the library.

_Tsk tsk tsk._ She heard Pennywise sigh with disappointment and the soft jingle of his bells. "Leaving again so soon?"

"You felt it too, didn't you?" she asked, worried. "I'm not just imagining this, right?"

"If you were, you would stay, wouldn't you?" Pennywise grinned wider at her as he spoke.

"But I'm not, because if I were, you would have just told me so. Please… I'll come home when I know he's alright, I promise." She opens her eyes and looks into the darkness, seeing the bright glow of his golden eyes.

"Promise, promise?"

"Promise, promise."

He giggled giddily and she closed her eyes tight, before feeling the pressure surround her. She opens her eyes when she feels grass beneath her feet. She feels grateful when she realizes she is dry and clean as well.

Mike comes out of the library, locking the main doors behind him. It's dark by now, street lights providing most of the illumination. He feels more relaxed, and his demeanor indicates to her that he realized the group was gone.

Walking toward him, Jessie raised a hand and called out a friendly greeting. "Hey there Mike! Glad to see that guy fucked off." She smiles at him as he turns to face her.

He was startled at first, not having expected anyone to be there. He had checked the windows before exiting, taking a little extra time, suspicious at how the group that had gathered was dispersed .

"Hey there, Jessie, right?" He grinned at her. "Yeah, no trouble thank heavens. I'm glad to see you unbothered as well. How are you liking Derry so far?"

"It's got good people in it. A lot of shit, but some good people."

"Good people, huh? Well, then you should stick around. You seem like the wandering type, but if you can see good in Derry then maybe you'd be good for it." Mike seems almost pensive.

"The funny thing is, I think I get what you mean." Jessie looks around them, feeling a sense of being watched. Anger radiates nearby, but she does not see the source. "Did you have plans for the rest of the night?"

He paused when she asked this and she could see him considering something. "I'll be going home to my wife…" he stated cautiously.

Jessie smiled and nodded. "Cool beans! Just wanted to offer if you wanted company going anywhere tonight. Not in that way, you know, just knowing the kinds of folks that hang out in this town."

A smile of recognition settled on his face then and he nodded. "You know, yeah… I have some time, I can let her know I've decided to go have a drink before heading back. You been to the bar in town?"

Jessie nodded. "Yeah, once…." Remembering the man who tried to take her to some unknown location. "I bet it's better with company. If you would like to go, that is."

"Can't tell you the last time I had a drink." Mike said, and turned to the parking lot. Jessie followed him, and he gestured for her to get into the passenger seat of his truck.

Jessie hopped in and buckled up, feeling a little strange being inside the vehicle. Mike drove them a few minutes into town and parked outside the bar that she remembered. The instinct that the others were close struck her as they parked, and she felt a strong pull toward the building.

Mike wore an expression of realization as though the same feeling were occurring to him. From the way the light in him burned brighter, she knew he could feel it too.

They walked to the entrance and Jessie smiled widely to see Richie and Eddie approaching with Stan. The three of them saw her and Mike almost immediately. Their gladness to see her warmed her heart, and the glow that brightened as they drew together was invigorating.

"Hey guys!" she called, walking forward to receive a hug from Richie, who had lifted his arms in invitation. "Fancy seeing you all here."

"Yeah, we're surprised to see you here too! We figured Stan the Man could use more socialization, so we’re bringing him for a boys night out." Richie smiled and looked to Mike who stood a few feet away.

"Ah, yes! Mike, this is Richie, Eddie, and that's Stan. I've met them all just in the few days since I've come to town. They're for the most part the good people I told you about." She gestured to each as she named them, then turned to them. "I just met Mike earlier at the library, just grabbing a drink before the night's over."

"I remember you guys, I was the-"

"Homeschool kid?" Eddie piped up, smiling a little. "I remember seeing you around town. You used to drive your bike to deliver meat, didn't you?"

"Yeah, that's right! I'm shocked, I didn't think anyone would remember me, since I didn't go to school with you all." Mike smirked.

"Why don't you just come with us, guys? I mean, I don't think any of us intend to be here super long anyways, let's just sit and catch up. Plus Jessie can scare off any assholes." Richie suggests, partially in jest.

Jessie and Mike look to each other with grins and nod. They group enters the building and gets seated at a corner booth, all of them sharing a pitcher of beer.

As they catch up and share their memories, Jessie sits in awe of the deep vibrations of their interacting light. The sensation feels stronger, as though Mike is a part of this collective, their group. Jessie can feel in her bones that this gathering of people is a calling, an instinct.

As she loses herself in thought, wondering about the role of this feeling in her life and how it must interact with the energy of It within her. She is vaguely aware of the two different energies swirling separately, but in sync with each other.

Suddenly, Jessie feels a gentle touch on her shoulder, and she turns her head to see Penny standing beside her, looking down with a mischievous grin. "Hey there, baby." A shine of amusement lit her eyes as Jessie's cheeks flushed with color.

"O-oh! Penny…" Jessie stumbled over her words. The bright red flush of her cheeks earns a collective chuckle. It's almost as though there is an understanding among them- if the girl is with Jessie, she's welcome. She knew that she would feel the same about any of their friends as well.

"I missed you~." Penny pouted cutely at Jessie and leaned forward to peck her cheek, though her lips lingered there for a moment, the softness radiating heat and desire through her.

"Hey it's all good, sit down and stay a bit!" Richie invites with a grin. "I didn't know Jessie had such a stunning friend."

"We're more than just friends, though, aren't we babe?" Penny seats herself snuggly next to Jessie on the seat.

"Y-yes." Jessie answered timidly, eyes looking down at the table as she tried to compose herself. Heat flooded her at the proximity. The group is jovial about the addition, making a few jokes about Jessie's reaction being cute.

Jessie's eyes remained downward as she felt the gentle touch of Penny's hand on her knee, giving a purposeful, possessive squeeze. It was toying with her, amused at her arousal. She only looked up when Stan, sitting across from her, passed something over the table to her.

"I wasn't sure when I was going to see you again, but I got you something I thought might be of use." He was passing her a small cell phone and charger. It was a flip phone, and she took it with some surprise and a huge swell of gratitude. "They had the idea of adding our phone numbers into the contacts so you could get ahold of us if you wanted. I also added the phone numbers for the police station, the nearest hospital, urgent cares and a few other buildings in case you needed them."

"Thank you so much, Stan! You guys…" Jessie's voice faltered a little, and she held in the wave of emotion that threatened to sweep her away. "I… This means so much to me, I don't even have words." Her voice trembled as she spoke, and the tears that welled in her eyes made twin streams down her cheeks. "Really, thank you."

Richie, Eddie and Stan smile and nod to her. They tell her that it was no problem at all, and that they're happy to have the ability to get ahold of her, that they feel better knowing she can call emergency services.

Jessie hears their words, but her mind is startled by something she feels, coming through that grip on her knee. She feels something she does not expect, washing into her from the form sitting beside her.

When she turns her head she sees that Penny's eyes are shining with withheld tears. Jessie bites her lips together and turns to thank them. Stan smiled at her and then made to stand. "I think that's about it for me tonight, though guys. I've got to get home. But this was nice, and it was a pleasure to meet you, Penny."

Penny seemed almost startled for a second before returning Stan's polite smile. "Nice to meet you too, Stan."

The group stood and said their goodbyes, Mike exchanged phone numbers with all of them and they went their separate ways.

For once, Jessie found that they were walking home. She was so used to Pennywise using its power, but tonight the auburn beauty walked hand in hand with Jessie down the sidewalk. They walked quietly, but there was a sense of communication between them.

A circulation of feelings. Jessie expressed curiosity first, wondering how It had felt to spend time with these people. It allowed her to feel its trepidation at approaching them, but the feeling was short lived. It seemed to her to be grappling with the experience of feeling her gratitude.

Jessie smiled and stopped, turning to wrap her arms around the taller form of Penny. Her forehead fit snugly against the soft nape of Penny's neck, and she couldn't help but smile to herself. She was glad to be a channel for such feelings.

Penny leaned her chin into the top of Jessie's head and hummed softly, returning the embrace with deliberate tenderness. One of her hands cradled the back of Jessie's head, and the other wrapped around her shoulders as she swayed slightly with her.

"Come, little one. Penny's been waiting to play with you. You do want to play with pretty… little… Penny…. Don't you?" The question was punctuated with kisses that trailed from the top of Jessie's forehead down the bridge of her nose and finally to her waiting lips.

Jessie gasped and nodded with heavily lidded eyes. Penny's lips captured her mouth again, the heavenly softness of them drawing slightly at her, pulling her in.

"Then let's get walking, little one. Penny had to wait, and you shall too." The wicked little smirk on those perfect lips - they were red now. That beautiful, bloody red. Her cheeks darkened, and Jessie conceded.

"Well then, we should keep going." Jessie replied softly, acknowledging the teasing little game being played. She didn't really mind, she supposed. Waiting was going to make it better in the end.

As they walked, steps in time with each other and fingers interlaced, Jessie felt the heat and pressure grow in her belly and sink. She got warmer as the minutes passed, could feel the tingling of her nerves that begged for attention, and she grinned.

Penny was emitting a thick, sensuous aura that seemed to grow in strength as they approached the dusty house. As they reach the porch, Jessie felt herself tugged back a little. "Wait!" Penny cried softly, before tugging Jessie up into her arms, held from her back and knees. "I've been wanting to do this~." The admission is made in a tone of such child-like excitement that Jessie's heart melts a little.

Being carried over the threshold of the house felt almost meaningful, and as though they entered a new atmosphere the place changed. Before her eyes, Jessie saw the interior of the house change. It looked almost as though the building had been refurbished similarly to the room she slept in.

Warped flooring was replaced with even boards. Holes in the walls repaired themselves, and the walls bled into a rich tan color. The resulting environment was cozy and felt almost normal. Jessie smiled gratefully and turned her gaze to look at Penny, who smirked and carried her slowly, purposefully to the bedroom.


	11. Chapter 11

"Finally back home to play~." Penny whispered into Jessie's ear, pressing a tender kiss against her lobe. The touch made Jessie whimper and writhe in her arms, but she held her still as though she weighed nothing.

Jessie's heart jumped at that, and she swallowed hard. The heat of her flushed face made her feel almost faint. "Yes…" she whimpered.

The bedroom was once again bedecked with candles and the scent of roses, and Jessie considered the effort all of the aesthetic changes it was making. She tried to imagine the strain of using that much power all at once, and the thought made her almost feel sick. Penny chuckled softly, and Jessie remembered with embarrassment that she was unable to hide these feelings from her.

"I'm glad you enjoy, my pet~. I am the eater of worlds… I can do so…. many…. things." The teeth lying behind those plump lips were sharp-tipped as she spoke, the soft voice sounding strangely sharp as well.

Penny laid Jessie down on the bed, atop the soft comforter, and crawled over her. The taller figure covered Jessie in her shadow, and it sent shivers through her to see the golden glow emanating from those heavily lidded eyes.

"I missed my sweet… little… pet. I'm so… glad… you're home." Penny once again kissed sweetly along Jessie's neck

With a soft moan, Jessie fumbled for something to say as her skin tingled beneath Penny's touch. The soft hands stripped her quickly and efficiently of her shirt and bra as she offered as much help as she could in removing the clothing. Her hips rose as her pants and underwear were pulled away, leaving her naked and exposed on the bed, the smooth, cool fabric soothing to her skin.

Penny smirked with satisfaction as the red tunic and jeans she wore dissipated, floating into the air as though they were only steam. The porcelain perfection of her skin was almost unnerving, a subtle reminder of her inhumanity. Jessie hesitated once more, then placed her hands on Penny's cheeks as she straddled her thighs.

With a soft groan, Jessie captured the plump ruby lips that hovered just above her own, hands slowly trailing her fingertips down the gentle curve of Penny's cheeks, her jaw and neck. The intoxicating amber glow of her eyes made Jessie whimper into their joined lips and arch her back forward.

Soft hands pressed Jessie downward into the mattress, and the smirk Penny wore as she slowly turned made her heart flutter and pound. Sitting on Jessie's stomach, Penny looked back over her shoulder with a devilish smirk as she brought a hand to the radiating sex of her 'pet'.

A soft stroke from the nethermost edge of her slit up to the already-swollen bundle of nerves of her clit earns a soft cry from Jessie. Penny chuckles softly and repeats the gesture with gentle purpose, eyes absorbing Jessie's feverish gasping response.

"My, my… how delectable you are little one. So flush with anticipation and wanting. Taste the forbidden fruit, little one, and be rewarded for your obedience." The sultry voice made Jessie's skin prickle throughout as Penny positioned her glistening pink mound over the mouth of her lover.

As Penny lowered her hips slowly, Jessie lifted her head eagerly, tongue gliding between heated lips to lap at the slick of arousal gathered there. Just as a satisfied moan rose from her throat, her head was pressed back into the mattress as Penny pinned her head with her weight.

The hot, throbbing bundle at Jessie's mouth stiffened as she suckled and lapped with need. The taste of Penny, the feeling of her weight holding her down made Jessie writhe and buck her hips. Her own mound ached and radiated with heat, yearning to be caressed again.

Two long, slender digits slid into Jessie's heat suddenly, shocking her with the sudden jolt of electrifying pleasure that tore a moan from her mouth that vibrated into Penny's clenching walls. The heated velvet mound pressed against her mouth stole her ability to breathe, and just as Jessie's mind began to waver, lungs burning, Penny lifted a little, allowing her to take in a glorious breath.

"Yesss~ Good, sweet pet… catch your breath and take me again, little one." Penny commanded huskily before grinding herself down against Jessie's waiting tongue, taking the muscle into the entrance of her glistening, aching cunt. Jessie thrust her tongue forward as well as she could, hands moving up to grip Penny's hips firmly.

The fingers that had pressed their way into her aching core began to curl within her, pressing against the soft flesh that sent fireworks and stars to the back of Jessie's eyelids. Pleasure washed through her like a wave, rebounding from head to toe and back. As the pressure built within her, her lungs ached and started to burn until Penny lifted herself.

An artistic twirling of legs placed Penny between Jessie's knees, and with a cocky smirk and burning embers for irises, she lifted one of the stunned girl's legs up, resting it against her shoulder. Straddling Jessie's other thigh, Penny ground her swollen and needy mound against Jessie's, the friction igniting sharp pleasure in their tantalized nerves.

For several long minutes, Jessie begged and pleaded breathily through her whimpering and moaning for Penny to let her come, to make her lose her sweet sanity in the orgasm that approached, but was denied time and time again. The rhythmic grinding of their slick, aching sexes was all she needed, but just as the precipice was within reach, just as she would start to tip into the mind-obliterating ecstasy of release, Penny would stop her grinding and hold herself up.

The amusement and glimmering light in those otherworldly eyes as Jessie begged incomprehensibly for more, to finally reach the peak teased her further, the knowledge that her pleasure was not purely her own to take as she wished enhanced the intensity of every touch. Her burning nerves exploded with sensation at every touch, and her engorged clit throbbed with need.

Without allowing their lower bodies to touch, Penny leaned down to capture Jessie's lips in a hungry kiss, sucking at and exploring her mouth with a tongue that seems too long, too flexible, too maneuverable. She continues this until tears well in Jessie's eyes at the burning ache in her core, longing for stimulation.

"I think we should try something different. Let's get… creative." Penny murmured against Jessie's lips before she pulled away and sat up between her legs. Jessie's dazed eyes stared at a blur in Penny's hand as it solidified, the strange orange light pulling away to leave the image of a double-ended dildo… except, she noted that this 'toy' looked very fleshy indeed. It didn’t have the shine of something false, and when she reached up to touch it curiously, her eyes widened at the warmth in that all-too-realistic flesh.

"Are you ready, pet~?" The soft sing-song voice rang in Jessie's ears as she watched that strange lower to the space between them. First, Penny took one end into herself. She bit her lip as she slowly pressed it in, eyes locked with Jessie's, burning with greedy, hungry lust. "I'll show you how this works, and then it'll be your turn to try."

The fleshy tip of the appendage toy pressing against Jessie's waiting entrance made Jessie shudder and jump, eyes closing and head tilting back. When Penny thrust forward into her aching heat, the heat and friction and sensation of being filled made her numb with pleasure.

Penny hilted herself once, holding their bodies together tightly. There was look of concentration on her face for a moment that melted into a self-assured smirk. Jessie began to wonder what that look could be for, but the question fell away as she felt this toy flex inside her. She lifted herself slightly to look down, curious and dazed with unexpected excitement.

Indeed, the 'toy' was no longer separated from Penny, but seemed to blend into the flesh of her vulva. She felt Penny watching her and when she looked up bashfully that beautiful, commanding face leaned in to nip and suck at her lower lip. She rocked her hips and thrust slowly into and out of Jessie, whose entirely body tingled and quivered.

When Penny ceased her thrusting, she looked into Jessie's eyes with an inquisitive gleam in her eye and that expression of concentration stole over her features once more. Jessie saw an orange gleam within those shimmering molten gold eyes, and her body felt incredibly tingly. The sensation was almost painful, but was incredibly overstimulating as the flesh that at one moment felt stretched and filled instead appeared to feel outwardly swollen.

As the tingling sensation died down, Jessie stared wide-eyed at Penny, feeling the tension grow in this new outer flesh that ached so much like her clit but the sensations of which seemed to radiate inward to some deeper center of pleasure.

Penny leaned forward, pressing the swell of her breast against Jessie's and began to buck and rock her hips, fucking herself on Jessie's newly acquired cock. The slick heat of her walls stretched around the shaft grinding against the newly awakened nerves shot through Jessie in a way that shook her deeply.

Years of wondering, imagining, dreaming of being able to experience this flashed through her mind as she allowed herself to embrace the feeling of Penny's body wrapped around her, sliding over the sensitive, needy flesh.

Jessie felt a sudden pressing urge as Penny chuckled, increasing her speed suddenly and bouncing herself on the engorged, electrified length. "Come for me, Jessie." Penny commanded, raising herself up to look down at Jessie as she bucked and ground with growing intensity.

Numbness overtook her in a lung-crushing sweep. Jessie closed her eyes helplessly as she peaked practically on command, and was intrigued- when she became aware of it- of a strange inner rush of heat and pressure. She felt the throb of her shaft, and was surprised by the hot substance that collected within Penny.

The auburn beauty bit her lower lip and seemed to luxuriate in the feeling of holding this position, even after the waves of release had stopped. Penny separated the toy from Jessie, returning her mound to its typical appearance, and pulled it away, allowing it to dissipate like vapor.

Jessie contemplated his, and felt It following her thoughts as they developed. She wanted to return the favor, of course. Her first inclination was to act now, but she paused when she considered that this form was likely developed to be a gift to her. She had just been gifted an experience she had only dreamed of before.

She wanted, earnestly, to return this favor, and as she began to try to word the question to ask what form It would prefer, what it desired most. With a hungry smirk, Penny brought Jessie's knees up, pinning them up, knees bent over her arms.

Jessie grasped forearms with Penny, and felt the familiar sensation of a slick, firm appendage growing outward from the heat of her mound. She looked downward to see a relatively normal shaft protruding from Penny's plump folds.

She felt the initial thrust like a firework in her chest, a dazzling rush of ecstasy that crackled and made her flesh ache with need. The thrusts came quickly and forcefully, unrelenting. Jessie felt the animalistic desire building within the form before her, within her.

As she watched, blood red streaks formed on Penny's face. Her pallor intensified, until she was all but glowing. Her hair brightened to the orange-red of Pennywise, but the form remained at this stage of combination as Penny seemed to double-down on her efforts, concentration etched into her brow and eyes as she thrusted.

The pressure building within that throbbing shaft as it filled her completely over and over again with persistent, building roughness built up a thrumming wave within her as their experiences melded together.

Jessie's legs shook as another deep rush of pleasure swept her mind clean. She felt little except for all-encompassing pressure, and then almost felt as though she were floating. This assessment earned a little giggle from Penny, who was propped up over Jessie, panting as the throbbing shaft emptied itself of its warm, slick seed.

Rolling off of Jessie to lay beside her, the form fizzled and blurred. Pennywise solidified before her, though his body was unclothed. Jessie weakly wriggled up beside him and laid her head on his shoulder.

She had the sense that he was perturbed by this change, as though it hadn't been entirely by choice. She wrapped an arm around him anyway and basked in the warm, pleasantness of the moment.

It rested beside her, attempting to wrangle the mess of thoughts buzzing angrily through its mind like a hive of rattled bees. It was losing control of its form, losing its grip in the intensity of these waves of pleasure and emotion. The crashing, volatile waves of light and energy that washed out of Jessie and into It, regardless of the form it took, were distracting and powerful enough to shake the concentration out of it.

Jessie slipped into unconsciousness as these thoughts buzzed through its mind, and when her twinkling start burned out in the darkness, searching for the presence she so anticipated, it rewarded her search with a blanket of comforting warmth that destabilized her even as it cradled and healed her fractured soul.


End file.
